The Burden They Bare
by MistressSymone
Summary: Damon just bared his heart to Elena in her room after saving her from Elijah. His plan was to erase her memory from it…but what he didn't count on was the small hemp bracelet on her left wrist. Picks up from Damon leaving her room in a blur.
1. Emotions

Summary: The Burden They Bare

Damon just bared his heart to Elena in her room after saving her from Elijah. His plan was to erase you memory from it…but what he didn't count on was the small hemp bracelet on her left wrist. Picks up after Damon leaves her room in a blur.

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Chapter 1: Emotions

Elena stood shocked, her mind not even able to form a thought after Damon's confession. She fingered the necklace he replaced on her neck before leaving and sighed deeply.

He tried to compel her. Usually she would be mad, but she just couldn't after hearing his reasons why. He was protecting his feelings and saving hers. She frowned and slowly lowered herself to the bed. He loved her…she knew that. But she never heard him say it and she'd never seen so much tenderness adorn his face. The way his lips softly caressed her forehead, and the acceptance in his voice as he claimed he didn't deserve her.

Elena covered her face with her hands. What was she going to do? He thought she didn't remember a thing, that she was oblivious to his feelings. She fingered the hemp bracelet that she weaved in with vervain for extra protection. She was glad she had it. She was glad she kept this memory of Damon letting down his walls…opening up his heart to her.

Elena glanced out the window to see the curtain blowing in the wind. How was she going to act around him? Was she going to confront him, tell him she knew everything and that they needed to talk…or pretend that she didn't remember and continue on as if nothing happened? Lying down in her bed, Elena thought back to what happened at the mansion. Her intention was to run to Damon…she wanted to, but Stefan stepped in and stole that moment from them. She had no idea why that bothered her, but when she locked eyes with him over Stefan's shoulder she could see the pain in his blue eyes.

Elena closed her eyes even though she knew sleep would not come tonight.

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Damon waltzed into the Boarding House and straight into the parlor for a drink. He blinked away another tear before breathing in deeply and hardening his face. As he strode to the wet bar his brother spoke up from the chair by the fire.

"Where were you?" Stefan's eyes followed his brother as he walked towards the fire.

Damon didn't move his eyes from the flames. "I didn't realize you were my keeper."

"I was just curious, you look a little pensive." Stefan commented.

Damon gave him a twisted smile. "I don't do pensive, that's your gig baby brother." He downed the rest of his scotch and moved to the bar for a refill.

Stefan stood and followed. "Did you go see Elena?" his voice was calm and quiet.

Damon paused, the glass to his lips. "I dropped off her necklace." The liquor burned going down. Much like the way her name burned into his heart.

Stefan scrutinized him. "That's all?"

Damon spun around pinning his brother with his glare. "Yea…what did you think I was gonna do, bare my heart and soul?" he added, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He scoffed and downed his drink again.

Stefan smiled tightly. "Maybe, I don't know Damon…you're unpredictable. She seems to be the only one that gets you to open up, sometimes it's like she knows more about you then I do." He shrugs and stuffs his hands in his sweater pockets.

Damon kept his mouth from saying what he was thinking. _She knows more about me that I do._ "Well you have nothing to worry about Stef…I haven't burdened your girl with the weight of my feelings." He turned back to the wet bar and fiddled with his glass. "She loves you…and I'm not gonna get in between that." He admitted softly pouring yet another drink. "You win…again." He downed it and chucked the glass in the fire, not even watching as it smashed into a million shards in the flames. He sped up to his room and slammed the door.

Stefan frowned as the fire grew with the alcohol from the glass. "We're gonna run out of glasses." He mumbled to himself.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Bonnie walked up the steps to her house sluggishly. She was worn out and tired and wanted sleep…lots of it. What she wasn't expecting to see was Lucy sitting on her porch steps.

Bonnie stopped and stared her eyes wide.

"I told you, you'd be seeing me didn't I?" she drawled as she stood. "You need help Cuz…you're wearing yourself down." Lucy's brow frowned in worry.

Bonnie's eyebrows shot up. "How did you know?"

The older Bennett smiled. "I can feel it Bonnie…you're power is my power. If you're weakened I feel it. I can help make you stronger…there's a way that allows you to do magic without draining yourself." She offered.

Bonnie was silent for a minute thinking it over before walking past her to open the door. "Come inside, Lucy…I'll make us some tea." Bonnie smiled tightly and let her cousin inside.

As Bonnie moved around the kitchen, Lucy explained the rules of magic and knowing when to stop. "I know the limits…I hit it today and it knocked me unconscious." The younger witch butted in. "I just want to be able do magic and not worry if my brain is gonna start hemorrhaging."

Bonnie placed both cups of tea on the island and sat down across from Lucy on the stool. Lucy cupped her hands around the mug. "That's how it starts off…you have the power it's just your body that can't handle it. But that will change. It just takes some getting used to."

Bonnie shook her head and leaned in. "I don't have the time to get used to it Lucy. Everyday there's a new threat, and I need my magic to help in anyway I can. My friend almost died today." She whispered anxiously.

Lucy placed her hand over Bonnie's. "We can do this…you have the Grimoire right?"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Katherine sat in the far corner of the tomb, with her knees hugged to her chest and dirt all over her body. She was starving. She was shaking and weakened but still clutched the moonstone in her cut up hands. Clawing at the walls didn't help and neither did anything else she did. She was stuck in here…left to decay and die alone. She closed her eyes as she thought of the cold look in Damon's eyes as he told her to rot in hell.

He didn't believe her…and now because of that Elena was probably dead. But she knew she was next…Katherine didn't know what was worse. Being hunted to her death, or starving to it. She blinked away a tear and buried her head in her knees.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Okay guys I hope you liked the first chapter/Prologue. The chapters to come will be longer…I just wanted to start it off like this. This is my first Vampire Diaries fic, and I'm excited. I just finished watching 'Rose' and had to touch on what would happen if Elena wasn't really compelled. This IS a Delena fic, but I gotta work up to it to make it realistic. Please review and let me know what you think!

Vanessa


	2. Just Me

Author's Note: Thank you for your reviews! I'm glad you like it, and I have big plans for this fic! Please keep reading it's going to get a little angsty in the next few chapters

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Chapter 2: Just Me

Stefan mulled over what Rose said earlier that night. It's wasn't over…more Originals were coming, and they were doing it for him. Klaus. If what she said was true, then they need help. Well there was himself, Damon, Caroline, maybe Isobel and…no. He wouldn't even let himself think of the last name. She was locked up in the tomb where she belonged.

He couldn't stop himself from thinking how this was all her fault. Katherine was the original Petrova doppelganger and if she had really died in that fire, Elena wouldn't be the one they were after.

There was a lot of research to be done and Stefan made a mental note to talk to Alaric tomorrow morning. They were lucky tonight. Stefan and Damon caught Elijah off guard, but he knew it wasn't going to be that easy next time.

Stefan stood from the chair in front of the fire, and frowned when Damon blasted his Anberlin CD from his room. He shook his head and headed upstairs.

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Damon reclined gracefully on his bed and smiled sadly. He did it. Elena knew nothing of his feelings and as much as that hurt him, it was best that way. He just needed her to hear the words once before he erased them forever. Now hopefully they could go back to the friendship they once had.

Elena was better off anyway. What could he give her that was any better than Stefan? He couldn't give her anything but pain, because that was all he knew. He loved her for obvious reasons and although he had his suspicions that she had feelings for him too in some way, he didn't want her to feel sorry for him and give him those pitying looks. His heart clenched a little at the look on Elena's face as he told her of his love for her.

It was shock mixed with surprise. She didn't say a thing the whole time, and he was grateful for that. If she did, Damon wasn't sure if he would have been able to go through with it. He closed his eyes and sighed.

Damon's eyes swung to the door. "Stop hovering behind the door Stefan…its rude." He called out over the music. Stefan popped his head inside. "I said stop hovering…not come in and be a pain in my ass." He eased off the bed and strode to the shelf of books pulling out one of his favorites and turning his back to his brother. "What do you want?"

Stefan crossed his arms. "I came to say goodnight." Damon slowly turned his head and gave his brother and incredulous glance. "And to tell you to turn down the music…it's two in the morning."

The elder Salvatore blinked, and turned around fully the book in his hand. "I'm sorry…I was under the impression that we're vampires! Up all night, sleep all day; any of this ringing a bell, Stef?" He spoke to his brother as if he were a child. Just as Stefan was about to speak Damon cut him off. "That's right!" he hit the book against his hand. "You try and keep human hours…makes you feel like a real person. And of course there's Elena…you gotta keep the same hours as your snuggle bunny. Speaking of which, I'm assuming since all this is over the two of you have resumed your nauseating-lover's status."

Stefan smirked. "Yes…does that bother you, Damon?"

Damon's lip curled in disdain. "No, I think it's great. I'm sick of seeing you brood around the house like a character from some Anne Rice novel." He moved back to the bed and rested his back against the headboard, flipping open the book to the first page.

Stefan shook his head and turned down the dial of the stereo, ignoring Damon's glare. "Goodnight, Damon." He headed towards the door then turned back to his brother. "Thank you…for tonight. Not only did you save Elena's life, but you saved mine too." With that said he quietly moved to his bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Damon thought about his brother's parting words. He was never the hero. He was the one that fucked up the plan or ended up getting someone hurt. He was never the hero. He smiled tightly to himself. It felt good to be thanked. He couldn't remember the last time he was thanked for something.

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Elena groaned when her alarm clock went off the next morning. It was too early for her to be up on a Saturday, but she forgot to turn off her alarm last night. Knowing she couldn't go back to sleep anyway, she blindly smacked it and ended the blaring noise. Elena slowly sat up and rubbed her face. She got a couple hours sleep tops last night, and her body felt worn. The first thought that entered her brain was Damon and everything he said to her. What was she going to do about that…what was she going to tell Stefan?

"Knock, knock." Jenna popped her head in and walked to the bed. "Someone looks like they had an eventful night." She said knowingly.

"Something like that." Elena mumbled running her hands through her tangled hair.

"Well, how about some coffee and maybe an edible breakfast? I'm feeling like Suzy homemaker this morning so indulge me, please?" Jenna joked with a smile.

Elena gave her a tight smile. "Yeah, thanks…I'll be down in a few, kay." When Jenna left to go back to the kitchen, Elena moved around her bedroom changing into jeans and a t shirt, brushing her hair and teeth and lightly doing her make up. She felt horrible so making herself up made her feel a little better. Just as she was walking out of her bathroom she jumped when someone called out to her.

"Hey." Stefan greeted from in front of her window.

She sighed when her gaze landed on him. "Hey, Stefan." She tried to keep the awkwardness out of her voice, but she failed miserably.

He frowned immediately. "Is everything okay?" he moved toward her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Yeah…I'm just, I didn't get enough sleep last night." She shrugged, and turned her eyes away.

"Yeah, neither did I. Damon had his music blasting until the early morning." Elena's eyes caught his when Damon's name was said. He continued. "He said that he stopped by here last night." He prodded, his brows knitted together with an unasked question.

She nodded. "Yeah…he dropped off my necklace." She tried to keep her voice calm and her heart rate down. It was hard having a vampire boyfriend…he was like a lie detector. At least she wasn't lying. He smiled happy with her answer. After an uncomfortable moment of silence, Elena spoke up again. "I'm about to go down for breakfast…" she left it open-ended hoping he'd get the picture.

Stefan ran his hands down her arms. "That's fine…I was actually hoping Alaric was here I have some things I need to talk to him about."

"What did you need to talk to him about?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Nothing you need to worry about. I just have some questions."

Elena crossed her arms to remove his hands from her without actually telling him. "Well I don't think he's here. Look Aunt Jenna wants to spend some time with me and Jeremy…just the three of us, so can we talk later?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, okay…I'll call you." He leaned in to kiss her softly before speeding out the window.

Elena sighed deeply. She was anxious. She still loved him but he seemed to think that just because she almost died last night that automatically they were back together and everything could go back to normal. But it wasn't, she still needed a break from everything. She has been spending all this time being 'Stefan and Elena' and now she needed to just be Elena.

She sluggishly moved down the stairs and smiled at the sight in front of her in the kitchen. Jenna was fumbling with a bowl of pancake batter, and making a mess as she poured it in the frying pan. Jeremy was laughing as she wiped her forehead and with the hand that had batter on it.

"Damn!" she cursed; she broke the pancake as she flipped it.

"What's going on in here?" Elena questioned as she grabbed herself a cup from the cupboard and poured herself a coffee. She sat next to Jeremy and they watch their Aunt shuffle around the kitchen.

Jer never took his eyes off Jenna. "She's trying to make breakfast. I told her I'd be fine with cereal…but she insisted." He chuckled.

Elena smirked. "I'm glad she did. This is entertaining." She looked over and caught her brother smiling at her. "What?"

"I'm just happy that you're okay. That Elijah guy is dead; Katherine's locked away in the tomb…everything worked out." He whispered so Jenna wouldn't hear.

Elena smiled sadly. "Jer…just because last night turned out okay doesn't mean its over. There's always going to be something. I'm a doppelganger, and that means something to certain people. It's far from over Jeremy."

"Damn it!" Jenna hissed as she burned herself.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Caroline walked into the grill, her eyes scanning the room before falling on the person she was looking for. She gracefully waltzed over and slide into the seat next to him at the bar. "Hi." She greeted.

Damon looked over at her, and then turned back to his drink.

Caroline frowned. "Okay that was rude. I said 'hi' the least you could do is say 'hi' back." she scolded.

"Hi."

She rolled her eyes. "Okay…Damon listen, it looks like your," she looked at his drink. "…really busy, but we need to talk." She said firmly.

Damon blinked and looked at her. "What could we _possibly_ talk about?"

Caroline leaned in. "Our little wolf situation…" she trailed off. She had Damon's attention now. "I talked to Tyler. I tried to get him to stop asking me about the other night but he kept pushing. So I had to push back." she said sheepishly. At Damon's wide-eyed intense glare she tried to explain herself. "Please don't look at me like that…look I tried to act all innocent and oblivious but he had me pinned and I felt I needed to defend myself." She nodded happy with her answer.

Damon's face calmed a little. "I guess I can understand that. Did you kill him?"

Caroline looked at him like he was crazy. "What…no! I just bared a bit of fang, and scared him a little. I had to tell him what I was and before you say anything I didn't out you or Stefan." She held up her hand to stop him from talking. She paused and when Damon didn't say anything she continued. "He's really scared, Damon. He has no one to talk to…no one to teach him. He's all alone in this."

Damon raised a brow. "So what do you want me to do? Train the puppy?" he gulped down the rest of his drink.

The blonde rolled her eyes. "No…" she scoffed. "But maybe he might be useful to us. You don't have to do anything…I'll take care of it."

Damon gave her a weird look. "Since when is there an 'us'?"

Caroline smirked. "Since I saved your ass from my mother."

The older vampire shrugged. "You do know a wolf bite kills right?"

Caroline nodded. "Duly noted. As long as he's all locked up on the full moon you, me, Stefan and the rest of the town will be safe." When the bartender walked by Caroline stopped him. "Can I get a beer please?" She smiled.

"ID?" He asked.

She locked her gaze on him. "You don't need my ID."

"Okay." He rushed to get her a beer.

Her eyes lit up when the beer was in front of her. "I _love_ how that works!" she took a sip from the bottle.

Damon smiled bitterly. "It is pretty nifty."

"I know it's not great to do all the time, but I really like having things go my way for once, you know?" Caroline babbled.

"Nope." Damon mumbled. He looked at the bottom of his glass like it was going to refill itself.

After an awkward silence, Caroline sighed deeply and glanced around the Grill. "Oh look Elena's here!" Damon's head shot up and his eyes sought her out. "Gotcha! I knew it. You like Elena!" her eyes bright with her observation.

Damon scowled. "I don't like Elena…I don't _like_ anyone." His lips formed into a thin line, mad at himself for being so obvious.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Yeah…" she hopped off the stool. "And maybe one day, you'll believe it yourself." She walked out of the Grill and towards her car.

Damon frowned mulling over what she said. How could she possibly know anything about him? He chalked it up to letting his walls down a little too much, but he promised himself that they would stay firm and high from now on.

Then he smelt her. He turned around and saw her walk through the doors. She sat down at a booth and looked down at her hands. He watched her for a while. She was alone, and he didn't sense Stefan anywhere around. She shook her head at the waitress that offered to get her a drink and looked up and caught his gaze. Her face showed no emotion and she didn't say anything, but he knew she wanted him to go over there.

He gracefully stood from the stool and sauntered over, sliding into the seat across from her.

"Hey." He said casually. "Stefan here?" he made a show of looking around.

She just stared at him for a second before replying. "No…I came here alone. I think Stefan's with Alaric."

He nodded. "Alone? You shouldn't be alone…especially after everything that happened." Is that all it took for him to show even just a little bit of care…her presence?

She shrugged. "I kinda need to be alone." She backtracked when she saw the hurt on his face and he started to get up. "I mean away from Stefan. Even though Katherine is locked up it doesn't mean that Stefan and I are back together. I need a break…We've been Stefan and Elena for so long that I need to learn how to just be me. I lost that somewhere along the way." She looked back down at her hands.

Damon frowned. "Well I thought you two were back together…I mean Stefan told me as much last night."

Elena's head shot up. "He did?" Damon nodded. "We'll that would explain the unexpected visit this morning." She said more to herself. "He seemed pretty interested in why you showed up last night."

Damon sat frozen, his eyes darting to the side before focusing on her again. "You remember me showing up last night?" If his heart could beat it would be pounding right now.

Elena looked at him funny. "Yeah." She said slowly. "You dropped off my necklace…I was wearing my cute pj's?" she smirked jokingly. She had decided to play along and let him believe she didn't remember anything of what he said.

He laughed forcibly. "Yeah…well you seemed tired I thought you would have…blocked that out." He was confused. Damon thought that he had erased her memory of him ever stopping by in the first place. Guess not.

"Anyways…he asked about it like he was trying to catch me in something. Did you say anything to him?" she prodded, wondering if he told Stefan anything about why he stopped by there.

Damon shook his head. "Nope…just the truth. Came by, dropped off the necklace." He frowned and looked around the Grill, trying to avoid her gaze.

A small smile grew on her face but she quickly hid it as he looked back. "Yeah, that's what I told him, I guess I answered correctly because he dropped the subject." She chuckled. "I don't know why he's so worried, we're friends, right?" she asked.

Damon grinned, although it was forced. "Yeah! BFF. But you know Stefan…he's got to brood about everything." It was nice to have this back. No tension, no worries, just the two of them having a good time.

"Hey Elena…Damon." Stefan slid in beside Elena and kissed her cheek. He didn't catch the look she gave Damon that clearly said 'See what I mean?' He directed his next question at Damon. "What's going on here?"

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Author's Note: Thank you for reading! I'm having fun writing this. I love writing for Damon and Caroline so she's gonna be in here a lot. Hope you all liked it, please review and tell me what you think and things you'd like to see happen and I might consider slipping it in and of course crediting you! I'll try and update again in the next couple of days.


	3. Blood Habit

Chapter 3: Blood Habit

"I don't know why he's so worried, we're friends, right?" she asked.

Damon grinned, although it was forced. "Yeah! BFF. But you know Stefan…he's got to _brood_ about everything." It was nice to have this back. No tension, no worries, just the two of them having a good time.

"Hey Elena…Damon." Stefan slid in beside Elena and kissed her cheek. He didn't catch the look she gave Damon that clearly said 'See what I mean?' He directed his next question at Damon. "What's going on here?"

Damon shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing, brother. Elena came in by herself; I figured I might as well join her."

Stefan's eyes stayed locked on Damon's as if trying to read between what he was saying. "Really…is he bothering you?" he asked Elena quietly.

She frowned and shook her head. "No, Stefan…I'm glad he did. Damon's right I shouldn't be by myself knowing everything that happened recently. He was keeping me company." She smiled at Damon and that put him at ease. He smiled back.

Stefan's eyebrows knitted together. "Well why didn't you call me?"

Elena tried not to roll her eyes and Damon smirked a little. "Because you said you were going to talk to Alaric…I didn't want to pull you away." Her eyes landed on Stefan before opening the menu in front of her as a distraction.

Stefan smiled and soothingly ran a hand down her back. "I wouldn't have minded. I'd take my girlfriend over Alaric any day." Damon's smirk grew as she huffed.

"Stefan…" she said exasperatedly. "We need to talk." Her voice meant business.

Damon slid out of the booth. "And that's my cue!" he commented grandly. "Any conversation starting with 'we need to talk' I want _no_ part of. I'll be at the bar." Damon strolled to the bar and occupied his previous spot.

Stefan looked confused. "What's wrong, Elena?"

Elena turned so she was facing him fully. "Look I told you before that we need some time apart." She started gently. "And just because Katherine is in the tomb and you and Damon saved me…doesn't mean we can pick up where we left off." She grabbed his hands in hers. "I love you Stefan…you know that, but I need time to figure out who _I _am without you." He was silent for a while and she was about to continued when he spoke softly looking down at their hands.

"Is this about Damon?" she could hear the insecurity in his voice.

She shook her head vehemently. "No…this is about me. I barely know my friends anymore, Stefan! Bonnie, Caroline, they're all slipping away. I feel like all my life is, is doom and gloom and chaos and I need a little bit of regular teenage angst." She tried to joke, but Stefan wasn't laughing.

Stefan nodded. "And that's my fault." He admitted. "I bring all that to your life. Katherine and-" he rambled, feeling sorry for himself.

She sighed irritably. "Stefan, this isn't about what _you_ did! I need a break…from us, from the intensity; I just want to get back a little piece of the Elena I used to be. Please don't make this about you…it's not. I just need you to give me a little space to breathe, okay?" she asked hesitantly. He didn't answer; he just looked at the hard wood table in front of him and nodded demurely.

Elena exhaled a load off her shoulders and thanked whoever deserved it that the booth they were sitting in didn't have a wall blocking her in. She grabbed her bag and slipped off the other side of the booth, casting a glance at Damon's back before exiting the Grill.

She sat in her car and couldn't help but feel so much better. She knew it would be hard on him because it would be hard on her too; going from being with him all the time to not seeing for days at a time. But she felt it would be better that way. She needed her space because she was starting to feel suffocated.

Elena pulled out her phone and called Bonnie. No answer. She called Caroline who picked up sounding a little agitated and said she had her hands full but she'd call her back later. She turned the ignition and headed back towards her house for the rest of the afternoon.

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About ten minutes after Elena left, Stefan shook himself out of his stupor and sped back to the Boarding House. He was mad. Mad at himself, mad at Elena, mad at Damon, mad at everyone. He couldn't stop his face from changing the veins around his eyes protruding and his fangs elongated. Now he was hungry. He sped to the kitchen and threw open the fridge door, nearly ripping it off its hinges. The bag of O negative called out to him and he didn't think twice about puncturing the bag with his fangs and greedily draining it.

Five bags later, Stefan's body was humming with power. He missed this feeling; the feeling of strength and dominancy. He realized with a smirk that he had drained his brother's blood supply. He didn't really care but he didn't want him knowing about his new blood habits. So Stefan disposed of the bags in a dumpster in town and headed straight for the blood bank. He replaced Damon's stock and filled one of his own which he kept hidden in a cooler down in the cellar, a different spot than last time.

He felt great! Why didn't he do this before? Sure he was sipping Elena's blood everyday, but it wasn't enough to make him feel like this. But they couldn't know…they would deem him 'out of control' and lock him away again. No, no not this time.

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Elena sat in her room writing the past few days events in her journal, not even flinching when Damon hopped through her window mutely. "Hey." She greeted, writing one last line before closing it and putting it on her nightstand.

"That was quite a speech you gave back there Miss. Elena." He clapped his hands. "Oscar-worthy for sure." He hopped on her bed, reaching for the stuffed animal by her pillow and started fiddling with it. "Stefan seemed pretty upset though." He said in a semi concerned voice.

Elena sighed, and wrapped her arms around her bent up knees. "I know…but I had to, Damon. I was suffocating." He nodded in understanding. "It's gonna be hard, and he's going to be upset, but it's better this way. Both of us will be able to think with a clearer head and we can focus on what's coming next." She frowned. "Stefan was gonna talk to Alaric about something…do you think it has anything to do with The Originals and the curse?" Elena's brow was raised as she questioned the dark-haired vampire in front of her.

"Probably…what, he didn't tell you?" Damon asked spinning the stuffed toy in the air.

Elena smiled, and snatched it before he could catch it. "No. That wasn't really the topic of conversation. Would you mind asking him? See if there's anything we should know about…I don't really Stefan's gonna want to talk to me right now anyway." She said a little sadly.

Damon rolled his eyes and bounded off the bed. "I doubt that. Stefan would talk to you even if you just ripped his heart out and ate it for breakfast." He grinned facetiously at the look of disgust that curled her lip. "I'll go see what the Saint's up to…maybe pop by and see the teacher too. I'll come by later okay?" And with that he was out the window before she could tell him that he could use the door.

She smiled. She and Damon were falling back into their regular routine, and it was nice to know there was no pressure. She couldn't deny the way her heart fluttered when he smiled at her, when he really smiled. Or when he did that thing with his eyes…but that was just walking on dangerous territory. "I'm not Katherine." She whispered to herself. She wouldn't let herself be the one that led them both on and traded one up for the other. It wouldn't be fair to either of them. She thought back to the moment Damon shared with her. A moment he thought she wouldn't have to be burdened with. But it wasn't a burden.

"_Why do you have to say it with my necklace?" My voice sounded scared, but I was nervous. _

_He seemed taken back by my question and had a hard time answering it. "Because what I'm about to say is probably the most selfless thing I've said in my life."_

_I shook my head. "Damon, don't go there."_

_He stepped closer to me. "I just have to say it once, you just need to hear it…I love you Elena. And it's because I love you that…I can't be selfish with you." His eyes bounced back and forth to look at mine. His voice broke. "And why you can't know this. I don't deserve you…but my brother does." He kissed my forehead sweetly and ran a hand over my hair. "God, I wish you didn't have to forget this." He couldn't quite look at me as he spoke. I remember being confused as the look of determination crossed his face. "But you do." He cried for me. Then he was gone._

It was a privilege. That he would share such an intimate moment with her, regardless of whether or not he intended for her to forget it.

Damon opened the door to the Boarding House and looked around. "Hello? Dear Brother?" he drawled loudly. He continued in knowing his brother was somewhere in the house. He moved to the parlor and poured himself a drink. He'd been doing that more than usual as of late. "Are you gonna come and greet me…or should we yell at each other through the walls?" he called with a half smile. It dropped when he didn't hear a reply. "Stefan?" He knocked back his bourbon and started to move up to Stefan's room.

Instead of knocking he waltzed right in and caught Stefan on his knees draining a bag of blood, a dozen bags in front of him and blood smeared all over his face. Damon's eyes were wide in horror and anger.

"Don't tell Elena." Stefan said calmly around a mouthful.

Damon sped up to him and ripped the bag from his hands. "What the _fuck_ are you _doing_? Have you completely lost your mind?" he yelled, wrenching him off the floor.

Stefan's eyes were blank. "Kinda."

Damon shook him. "You can't drink human blood, Stefan! You can't control it!"

Stefan's voice was innocent and excited. "No, Damon I can! I feel great…I've never felt this good before. I can handle it, I promise. I _need_ this Damon." His sentences were short and forcefully as he held on to Damon tightly to prove his point. "What do I have if I don't have this?" he eyes begged him to answer but Damon couldn't. "Please don't tell Elena…it's different this time. I can control it." He nodded quickly and numerous times as if trying not only to convince Damon, but himself too.

Damon scoffed. "Oh yeah…" he looked at the mess behind Stefan. "You're doing a great job at controlling yourself. Gold star for you!" he patted him hard on the back. He took a moment to assess the situation and collect himself. "I won't tell Elena if you can _promise_ that you will let me help you with this." He looked his brother dead in the eye. "_Promise me_ that _no one _will get hurt."

"I promise. I promise." Stefan agreed quickly. He laughed and pulled Damon into a hug. "It'll be just like old times."

Damon pulled away and looked him in the eyes sternly like a child. "Nooo…it won't be like old times, because in the old times we were killing people." Damon shook his head. "We're not killing anyone." He drawled. "Now go clean yourself up…I need to talk to you about your _date_ with Alaric." Damon turned Stefan around and pushed him towards the bathroom. "When did _I_ become the level-headed one?" he muttered to himself.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Authors Note: Thank you again for all your reviews! I really appreciate them and it's making me update faster for you. I was given a great idea by BTVS100 and I will put it into the story in a future chapter! Thank you for your input! Love you guys! Hope you liked this chapter I had fun writing it!

Vanessa


	4. The Originals

Author's Note: Okay so some of the Originals names and characters will be made up by me because I don't know any of them but Elijah. I'm also creating my own back story and history…This should be fun!

Chapter 4: The Originals

Elijah's ashen face slowly started to gain its pale tint and the veins under his eyes receded. He was mad…how dare some lowly vampire stake him, with a weapon he had intended to use on them, no less. He wrapped his tight grip around the wood and pulled it out of his chest and throwing it across the room. He straightened up and brushed the dust off his suit before reaching for the cell phone in his pocket.

He was so impressed with modern technology. You could call anyone in the world from one small hand held device. You could do research on it, which he was informed was called 'surfing the internet'. Remarkable. He searched for the contact he was looking for and pushed send.

The voice on the other end answered, and he replied. "Hello…it seems we have a small problem on our hands. Her name is Elena." He listened to the voice. "She's a Petrova doppelganger. Unfortunately that's not our only situation…Katerina Petrova is still alive, locked in a tomb in Mystic Falls." Elijah chuckled. "Yes it is quite amusing."

Elijah walked around the mansion slowly as he spoke on the phone, checking each room for any unexpected visitors. "Apparently it's the same one she supposedly died in." the voice on the other line spoke for a while. "Well, this Elena is protected, but they shouldn't be a problem…vampires, children really, no older than two hundred." A devilish smiled slowly crept up his face. "I shall be expecting you soon then." He hung up the phone and sped to the car.

It was dark finally and he was hungry.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena paced her room. It was dark now and Damon still hadn't come back. She hadn't heard from him or Stefan or Alaric and she was getting worried. Jeremy popped his head in.

"Hey…You're gonna wear out the floor." He joked as he entered her room.

"I haven't seen or heard from Damon since he left, he hasn't checked in…something's wrong." He rushed out looking out her window.

Jeremy rolled his eyes and threw himself on her bed. "Or he's just being Damon and didn't think he had to."

Elena shook her head. "No, Damon said he was gonna come by later. Damon's a lot of things but he's not a liar. He should have been here by now." She bit her thumbnail.

"I'm sure he'll be here soon." Jeremy tried to reassure her.

Elena sighed heavily. "He better…and when he does I'm so gonna kick his ass." She promised, sitting back down on her bed.

"Oh, guess I better leave then." A voice from the window commented.

Elena jumped up and stood in front of him. "Damon! What the hell took you so long? You had me worried. Is everything okay?" she bombarded him with questions as he climbed through the window.

Damon grinned. "Aww you were worried about me, that's sweet Elena." He put his hand over his heart. He looked around her at Jeremy. "Hey kid."

Jeremy rolled his eyes and got off the bed. "I'll be in my room." He used the adjoining bathroom to get there.

Elena glared at him. "What took you so long?" she asked again.

He shrugged. "It was a long talk, I got hungry afterwards." He said in a way of explanation as he moved around her to lounge on her bed.

Elena turned around and sat on the end of the bed. "Well what did he say? Should we be worried?"

Damon sighed and looked at her ceiling. "Did you ever have those glow in the dark stars on your ceiling? I always thought those were cool." He stalled.

Elena huffed. "Damon…"

Damon sat up. "Okay. We should be worried." He didn't say anything after that and Elena gave him a look that he recognized as the 'Tell me NOW or I'll pull it out of you' look. "The Originals are old; older than me and older than Katherine."

She rolled her eyes. "I knew that already, Damon. Just tell me, please."

Damon looked at the duvet in front of him. "The Originals were the first vampires to walk the earth. It started as a disease, an _infection_ that was past through blood; the first six humans that were infected soon past it on to others, by drinking their blood and infecting them with theirs. Those are the vampires you know today." He waved a hand in front of his face grandly.

Elena frowned. "And what about the first six? How are they different?"

Damon locked his gaze on her. "They don't need an invite into a house." He paused. "They have unspeakable power; they don't need compulsion to control your mind, they can control your dreams, have extreme strength…and the ability to heal themselves from death."

Elena gave him a worried look. "Yeah…but you already killed Elijah. I saw it. He got all ashen and decayed."

All he did was shake his head. She frowned deeply, looking at him hard. "I went back to the mansion today and he was gone. No body."

Elena blinked and looked around breathing heavily. "W-what are we gonna do?" he voice cracked.

Damon pulled himself closer and took her face between his hands. "Hey, it's okay….I'm not going to let _anyone_ hurt you, okay? You're gonna be fine. We'll deal, we always do." He said determined to calm her heart rate.

He kissed her softly on the forehead, and Elena closed her eyes, remembering the way his lips caressed her the last time he did this. "I'm scared, Damon. These…unkillable vampires want me dead. I'm the key to the curse they want broken…they need a doppelganger and I'm the-" she stopped when she saw Damon's eyes get wide. "What?"

Damon smiled. "You're not the only doppelganger, Elena."

She shook her head. "No, no, no there's no way! We can't!" she got off the bed and started pacing again.

Damon's eyes followed her. "We don't really have many options here, Elena. Katherine started all this, it's about time she finish it."

Elena spun to him. "Handing Katherine over to the Originals means opening the tomb, Damon! And who's to say she's not gonna attack us as soon as we open it? And Bonnie is the only one that _can _open the tomb and you remember what happened the _last_ time, right?" she cocked her head to the side and pinned him with her stare.

Damon nodded. "Yeah I know, but…" he paused keeping her stare and making her understand how important his next words were. "Giving them Katherine means not giving them _you._" He uttered slowly.

Elena sighed wrapping her arms around herself and sitting back down beside Damon. "I just don't think Bonnie can handle it right now. Not like I'd know…I haven't spoken to her since we got back from the mansion." She dropped her head in her hands. "How did this happen?"

Damon pulled her into his arms. "Because Katherine's a stupid bitch and didn't stay dead."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elijah dropped the body he was feeding from on the hardwood floor when he heard the doorbell. He walked through the mansion towards the door. He opened it to reveal four stunningly beautiful people. None of them had a smile on their pale faces but they were beautiful all the same. He smiled. "How nice of you to ring the doorbell." Elijah looked at them all and frowned. "Where is he?"

"Not here." A tall red head spoke up stepping through the threshold. Her hair cascaded down her back and shoulders in perfect curls, and her eyes were a bright emerald green. "He didn't feel it was necessary to come here yet." Her voice was soft and sultry, her English accent still strong after all these years.

The rest of them stepped in behind her, looking at the mansion. "Not the most tasteful…but it will do for now I suppose." said another. His hair was a dark curly mop on his head and his chiseled cheekbones made his blue eyes stand out. His Irish accent wasn't as strong as it used to be from being out of the country for so long.

The five vampires moved into the sitting room. "Sorry for the mess…" Elijah apologized gesturing to the two bodies lying haphazardly on the floor. He poured himself a glass of scotch at the small bar. "Drink?"

"Yes." The tallest of the rest sauntered over to the bar gracefully. His hair was a light blonde, cut short, and his eyes were a deep chestnut brown set deep in his face. He was handsome in one word. He also had an English accent, which was deep and gravely. "Brea, love…would you like one?" he poured one for his mate already knowing she would say yes.

Brea, the red head smiled sweetly. "Thank you, Ramsey." She received the glass from him. "Ever the gentleman." She pinned Elijah a glare. "You should learn from your elders Elijah." She sipped slowly. "So Katerina Petrova is alive, how?"

Elijah frowned. "I don't know…everyone thought she died in that church fire in 1864."

Brea glared at him. "Well clearly she didn't! Where did you get your information? Somewhere resourceful I hope." Her voice took on a hard demanding quality that as his elder Elijah couldn't deny.

"Yes, it was resourceful." He stated obediently. "Elena herself told me under compulsion."

Quinn, the blue eyed vampire spoke up. "And this Elena…she's the doppelganger?" Elijah nodded. "Then I say we take Elena, use her blood to remove the curse and be done with it." He said resolutely.

Ramsey shook his head. "No, we mustn't do anything until he says otherwise. This is a sensitive circumstance." He gulped the rest of his scotch and placed to empty glass on the table. "We don't even know how it is possible Katerina could have a doppelganger, she never procreated."

Brea raised a brow. "Not that we know of. You know as well as I do that Katerina was as great a liar as she was a lover; even before he turned her. Look at the mess she made in Mystic Falls! The Salvatore brothers?" she questioned as an example.

Elijah started chortling. "Funny, you should mention them. If I'm not mistaken the Salvatore brothers are in Mystic Falls…they were the ones that saved the girl."

Ramsey laughed hard. "Oh how things have come full circle. The Salvatore's protecting the doppelganger of none other than Katerina. How peculiar."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Damon looked Bonnie in the eyes and she could see the sincerity there. "I know you don't like me…but if the only way to keep Elena alive is to hand Katherine to the Originals then I'm willing to take that risk." He's eyes were intense and desperate. "I promise you, that if _anything_ happens to you I will do what ever I have to, to keep you here." Bonnie read his face and knew he meant it. "Don't do it for me…do it for her." He stated softly and glanced at Elena who was talking to Lucy in Elena's kitchen.

Bonnie looked at her friend then nodded at Damon. "Okay. But I'm gonna need some things. Lucy and I can do this…but we need to channel our ancestor's powers first. Can you grab me some ingredients, they're kind of costly-"

"Done." Damon cut her off, happy that she agreed.

Bonnie smiled tightly. She jotted down a list of ingredients for spells on a notepad from her purse, ripped the page out and handed it to Damon.

"Thank you." He said seriously. "I owe you one." He walked over to Elena. "Hey, I gotta head into town." She started standing. "It's okay you can stay here…you'll be save here."

She nodded nervously. "Have you told Stefan any of this yet?"

Damon sighed and shook his head. "No…maybe I'll bring him along for the ride. I'll call you if we get any news." He pointed at her and gave her a stern look. "Do _not_ leave this house."

She nodded. "Okay." She watched him rush out of the house and turned back to Lucy who grabbed her hand.

"Don't worry; no one can get to you here. I put a shield up around the house." She smiled reassuringly.

Bonnie walked back and smiled at her friend. "So, Damon seems to be stepping up and handling everything for a change. Where's Stefan in all of this?" Bonnie sat down at the kitchen table with her cousin and Elena.

Elena leaned her head on the palm of her hand. "The Boarding House probably, moping around. I haven't heard from him all day." When Bonnie frowned, Elena elaborated. "I broke up with him. It was getting too much I needed to get some space between us and spend more time with my friends." She said pointedly. Bonnie broke out on a huge grin and hugged her. "I know you don't like Stefan or Damon very much, but both of them mean a lot to me, and that won't change." She cleared up.

"I know…it's just nice to know I can have my friend to myself for once." The witch smiled.

Elena's phone rang and she answered it when she read Caroline's name. "Hey…took you long enough to get back to me." She reprimanded jokingly.

"Sorry, I was really busy with some things; I'll tell you when I get there." She said quickly.

Elena frowned. "Oh, when will you be here?" she heard a knock and rushed to answer the door.

"Now!" Caroline chirped with bright eyes and a smile. "I love how super speed works! I save _so_ much on gas." She tried to step into the house but there was a barrier. "Um…Elena? I thought I was already invited." She looked confused at her friend.

Bonnie and Lucy walked to the door and Bonnie sighed. "We put up a barrier to keep out vampires. Elena's being tracked by the Originals." She explained.

The blonde frowned. "The Original what?"

"Vampires." Lucy stated. "Really old and really dangerous. We can momentarily bring down the shield. Bonnie…" The two witches held hands and chanted quietly with their eyes closed; Bonnie's tighter than Lucy's. "Done." She smiled.

Caroline tested with her hand first, then hopped over the threshold. "Cool!" she waltzed into the kitchen with everyone following behind her. "So I've been on dog watch _all_ day today." She grabbed the bag of chips from the cupboard and started munching. She rolled her eyes up. "Stupid me for telling Damon I'd take care of it, cause Tyler has some _serious _anger problems. Like I know it's because of his wolfy status, but he should know by now that I'm _way_ stronger than him." She laughed and popped a chip in her mouth.

Elena, Bonnie and Lucy looked at her funny; a vampire munching on chips and venting about her day babysitting a werewolf. "You told Tyler you were a vampire?" Elena asked worried.

Caroline stopped mid chew. "I had to. He pinned me to a wall and kept _insisting_ that I was like him. He pushed my buttons." She shrugged, and popped another chip in her mouth. "And before you ask, I didn't mention any other vampires in town. So Stefan and Damon are safe. Problem averted." She said happily.

Elena, Lucy, and Bonnie shared a look. "Caroline…there's something you should probably know." Elena started, unenthusiastic about telling the story…again.

Author's Note: so I hope you liked my little blurb on how the Originals started I'll do more explaining as I get farther in…so this is going to be OFF CANON from now on I won't be following the facts from future episodes. I'm excited to bring my "Original" characters lol more back story, hope you enjoyed this chapter please read and review! Love you guyyyyyys

Vanessa


	5. Visitor

Author's Note: Hmm…didn't get many reviews for the last chapter :( I hope you guys liked it, anyway here's another one for you please review to let me know what you think…it makes me update faster! P.S: stole part of a quote from Buffy the Vampire Slayer…see if you can pick it out!

Chapter 5: Visitor

Caroline blinked as she absorbed all the information. "Okay so, you're a doppelganger of Katherine…" she pointed at Elena. "And Katherine is a doppelganger of some other broad, and the Original vampires want your blood to break the Sun and the Moon curse?" She rolled her eyes. "And here I was worried about some stupid werewolf."

Bonnie gave Caroline a determined look. "They're not going to get Elena. We're gonna give them Katherine. If it's the Petrova doppelganger they need then we'll give them the original one. We're gonna open the tomb."

Caroline's eyes widened. "Have you lost _all _your marbles, Bonnie? Katherine plus tomb equals safe. Katherine plus freedom equal badness! The second the tomb is open she's gonna kill us all! She's pissed and trust me…you don't wanna be in her way when she's mad." Caroline opened the fridge. "Got any blood, Lena?"

Elena grimaced. "No…fresh out." She said sarcastically.

"So will you help us Caroline?" Bonnie asked. "We'll need all the help we can get."

Caroline sighed. "Okay! I've been itching for a good fight anyway." She shrugged her shoulders.

Elena smiled and hugged her. "Thank you Care…"

The blonde vampire smiled, and hugged her back. "You're welcome." She breathed in deeply. "Now please let go of me before I bite you." She half joked. When Elena let go Caroline spoke again. "I'm still learning to control the blood lust."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Damon drove into town with Stefan sitting next to him. He was looking wildly at all the people walking past on the streets.

"Stop looking at everyone like Happy Meals on legs. People will think you're weird…weirder." He corrected. "Look maybe I should tell Elena."

"No!" Stefan looked at his brother sharply. "Don't you dare tell her a thing…I can control this." He argued.

Damon frowned. "We've been driving for ten minutes and already you're drooling and fogging up the window." He glanced over at him.

Stefan huffed and looked out his window trying to push his fangs back. "I just want to be able to control it like you do." He mumbled.

Damon smirked. "I haven't been eating bunnies and squirrels for the past hundred years Stefan…you can't expect to just switch from animal to human; you need to transition…slowly." He declared as he pulled into a back alley. He parked in the back parking lot and turned to Stefan. "Okay…I'll only be a few minutes. Can I trust you not to move from this car?" he squinted at him in suspicion.

Stefan hesitated a second before nodding.

Damon quirked a brow. "Well, that wasn't very convincing but I trust you more out here than in there." He got out of the car and jogged to the bright red door with the painting of a black dahlia on it.

This place was one of Damon's secret resources. It moved from time to time and only the supernatural could enter. He opened the door and walked into the small magic shop. The shelves were filled with different ingredients and special items; eye of newt, monkey paws, mandrake root, lethe's bramble, burba weed and canary feathers. Books lined three walls and in the back sat a table where a young looking, heavier black woman sat her hands folded on the surface.

"Hello, Damon. You should have left Stefan at home…he's dangerous." She commented as he sat down.

"I know…but I needed him as close as possible. I'm assuming you know why I'm here." He smiled. He always liked her.

"Yes…everything you need is already on the counter." She pointed to the left and there was a box filled with small vials, stones, a silk bag, and book.

Damon grinned big. "Aww Dahlia! This is why I love you." He stood up grabbed the box and sat back down with her looking through it.

Dahlia raised a brow. "If you loved me so much, why did it take you sixty years to come visit me again?" she chuckled.

"I would tell you, but you already know." He winked.

Dahlia smiled. "I hope you're making the right decision. You know how grumpy Katherine can get…" she trailed off.

He nodded. "I know…but I don't have any other choice." He looked back into the box and picked up a stone called Banded Agate.

"Ahh…Elena Gilbert. The doppelganger." She proclaimed knowingly.

Damon looked at her wide-eyed. "It never seizes to amaze me how you know everything." He stood up and grabbed the box. "I'll stop by soon." He pulled two hundred dollars out of his wallet and left it on the table.

Dahlia shook her head. "You're money's no good here, boy." She handed it back to him. "And I'll be seeing you sooner than you think." She said cryptically.

Damon walked out the door and jogged back to the car praying Stefan hadn't done anything stupid. Luckily he was still in the car, his head down and a deep frown across his forehead. He hopped in and they drove back to the Boarding House. Damon dropped off Stefan and rushed back to Elena's.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

When Elena heard the knock on the door she rushed to it expecting Damon on the other side. She looked confused when instead she found a beautiful red head. She was dressed in skinny jeans, knee high boots, a red plunging neckline tank top with a tanned leather jacket.

She pulled off her sunglasses and smiled sweetly. "Hello, you must be Elena."

Elena looked her over apprehensively and hugged the door. "Do I know you?" she tried to keep her voice level but something about this woman made her nervous.

She shook her head. "No…I'm a friend of you're Aunt. I just got into town I thought I'd pop in and see how she was doing." She explained trying to look inside, around Elena.

She brought the door closed a little bit. "Well she's not here. I could tell her that you came by…what's you're name?" she asked.

"Brea…" She smirked and backed off the step. "You know, you look just like a friend of mine." She teased, not really caring about outing herself. She chuckled when Elena's eyes widened.

"Elena! Step away from the door." Damon called out as he sped up to the porch to stand in front of the red head. When she did, he glared the other vampire down.

Brea wasn't intimidated. "You _must _be the elder Salvatore. I've heard a lot about you."

"All good I hope." He said sarcastically.

Brea laughed. "Not as of late I'm afraid. Protecting a human? I expected more from you." She trailed her finger across his chest and giggled when he smacked it away.

"I suggest you keep your hands to yourself." Damon bit out getting in her face.

"And I suggest you watch your back. Who do you think you're dealing with, Damon?" She pushed him back with little effort, and he flew through the air and hit his back on pillar, breaking it. He had a look of shock on his face as she stepped towards him. Elena looked on in horror. "If you think for one second that you have a chance against me, you're wrong. You know, Elijah's not very happy that you tried to kill him…and you should know those that disappoint him aren't granted a sweet death. Klaus wants Elena." She said slowly. "It's only a matter of time before he gets her." She sped out of there faster than Elena had ever seen.

Damon pulled himself off the ground and rushed to the door to try and get to Elena but was blocked by the barrier. "I'll go get Bonnie." Elena said rushing to the kitchen. Damon grabbed the box from the car entered the house once the barrier was brought down. Bonnie and Lucy put up the shield once again and they all headed into the living room.

Damon limped his way to the couch and threw himself down. Elena sat down beside him. "Are you okay…who was that?" she looked him over for any injuries.

"An Original…I'm assuming, since she just kicked my ass to next Tuesday." He winced. He saw worry all over Elena's face. "I'm okay."

Elena shook her head in confusion. "Who's Klaus?"

Damon looked bewildered. "I thought he was a myth…a legend. He's an Original; _the_ Original, the first vampire to ever walk the earth. I've heard stories about him, but I never knew he was real." Elena saw fear on his face and knew that if it was something that scared Damon then it was something to be worried about.

"But wasn't she in the sun?" Bonnie asked. "If this Original can walk in the sun then can't all of them? Why would he want the Sun and Moon curse broken?" She sat down on the table across from the couch.

Damon straightened himself into a sitting position as he started to heal. "She was wearing a Lapis ring…so was Elijah. They can walk in the sun; I don't know why it's so important."

"They want to break the curse of the sun so the werewolves don't do it first." Lucy realized. She ran into the kitchen and grabbed the Grimoire. She sat down next to Bonnie with the book open on her lap, and read it over quickly. "Yeah…if the vampires use it, it breaks the curse of the sun, if the werewolves use it, it breaks the curse of the moon. But it says what they need to do it is the moonstone."

Damon smiled and his eyes brightened. "Well I know who has that." He stood up slowly. "Come on ladies…we're gonna go see the wicked witch under the house."

Bonnie grabbed the box of goodies Damon got for her and Lucy grabbed everything else they needed including the Grimoire. Caroline's voice stopped them before they got to the door. "Wait! We're going now? I'm _totally_ not prepared for this."

Damon rolled his eyes. "And I _totally_ don't have time for this…either you're in or you're out." He said in the same tone of voice as her. He didn't wait for her answer as he led the witches and Elena back to the car.

"Lucy and I will meet you there." Bonnie said hopping in the driver's seat of her car.

As Damon opened the driver's side door Elena paused. "Maybe I should drive." She suggested.

He looked at her over the car and gave her a lopsided grin. "Maybe you should get in the car and stop treating me like I'm twelve. I'm fine, now get in." Damon slid in the car and Elena followed with a sigh.

Caroline was already in the backseat. "Katherine is soo gonna kill me." She whined.

Damon looked at her through the rearview mirror. "You're already dead."

Caroline caught his gaze. "I mean really dead. Like dust dead." Her were eyes wide and frightened.

Elena turned around as the car started moving. "Vampires don't turn to dust. They desiccate."

Caroline made a disgusted face. "Ew…like that's _so _much better! Thanks Elena!" she threw her hands in the air and looked out the window.

"Sorry…don't worry Caroline, Damon will make sure Katherine doesn't kill you." She said confidently.

Damon frowned. "Please don't speak for me Elena." He was only half kidding. As much as he didn't like the blonde vampire, her neurotic attitude was a pleasant comic relief.

Elena gawked at him and Caroline glared at the back of his head. "You're an asshole Damon." She said crossing her arms.

"Love you too Care." He said sweetly look in the rearview mirror. "I was kidding okay…I'll do what I can to keep you save." He declared seriously.

"Thank you."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

When they got to the tomb, everyone walked down the stone steps into the cave. They all looked at the huge slate that enclosed Katherine.

"Bonnie are you sure you wanna do this?" Elena asked.

She nodded and smiled confidently. "Yes…we can do it. Just give us a few to set up." Bonnie and Lucy went off into the corner to start channeling the Bennett power source.

Lucy took out the silk bag from the box and made a sacred circle around them with the desert sand from the bag. "Bless this circle with the power of the Earth. Keep it safe from those who promote evil and seek to harm." Bonnie placed the Banded Agates, the stone of protection and inheritance around the outside of the circle. She grabbed the candle and dried flowers clinging to a small twig.

They both stepped inside the circle and Bonnie placed the candle between them. Both witches focused on the candle and it ignited before them. Lucy held the flowers over the flames and whispered a chant as they burned. After a few seconds the flowers floated above the candle and continued to burn as Lucy and Bonnie joined hands.

'Cronus; Deus of vicis, tribuo nos vox quorum nos postulo pugno. Restituo nostrum somes per vires nostri preteritus sanctimonialis quod locus in nostrum manuum ops victum.'

As they were chanting in sync, the stones around the circle shot out light, creating a glowing ring shield around them. The ring faded then disappeared and both Bennett's were panting heavily with their renewed power. They hopped up. "Wow…that was awesome!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"Looked pretty nifty, too." Damon said as he started moving the slab of rock blocked Katherine in. "Katherine." He sung with a smile. "Time to come out now…I've got some O Neg with your name on it."

The tomb was silent. They heard some quiet shuffles before seeing Katherine slowly walking up to the opening. Her face was a picture of rage. "Damon…so nice to see you again." She said sarcastically. "Looks like you brought the whole gang to come and gawk at the freak show." She used the wall for support. Her voice was raspy with misuse.

"We came to let you out." Elena stated crossing her arms.

Katherine chuckled. "That's funny, tell me another. What do you want?" she looked fiercely at Elena.

Bonnie stepped forward. "We want answers, and now. If we like what you have to say…we'll let you out." Her voice was hard and she could still feel the power humming through her veins.

Katherine looked at her long and hard before swinging her eyes to Lucy. "You traitorous bitch…you calling yourself a white hat now?"

Lucy smirked. "Look who's talking. You should have told me Bonnie was a Bennett…or you never would have been in this situation…you brought this on yourself."

"Where's Stefan?" she turned her eyes back to Elena.

Before Elena could answer, Damon stepped in. "He's at home…he said he'd rather not see you. You see, Stefan can't stand to even _look_ at you anymore. You lost Katherine…he doesn't want you." Damon taunted with a twisted smirk. Her eyes hardened. "Hurts, doesn't it?"

"And you would know all about how much it hurts, don't you Damon?" she stepped closer to the shield. "First me, then Elena…what is about you that screams 'Second Best'?" Damon tried to move forward but stopped when Elena's had touched his arm. Katherine laughed dryly. "Are we done with this little reunion yet?"

"What do you know about Klaus?" Elena asked bravely.

Katherine's eyes widened before returning to their natural size. "Someone's been doing their research. I know he's dangerous…I know when he wants something he gets it. And I have a feeling I know what that is." She said cunningly.

"He wants the doppelganger…we know that already." Caroline spoke up from slightly behind them. She put up a snarky front to hide her real fear.

Katherine looked around to fix her gaze on her. "Hello Caroline…you've been awful quiet. Is someone scared of little old me?" she teased, cocking her head to the side. Caroline didn't say anything but didn't drop her stare.

"He wants the doppelganger…so we're gonna give him one." Damon's eyes shined brightly and a grin grew on his face.

Katherine looked confused. "So you're just gonna let Elena die…that's very noble of you Damon, to sentence the woman who stole your heart to death." She goaded, trying to get a rise out of him. It didn't work.

"No…see Elena's gonna live. It's you that's gonna die." Damon whispered really close to the barrier like a child telling a secret.

Katherine laughed evilly. "You're so _stupid_. Do you honestly think I'm any good to Klaus _now_? He wants to break the curse Damon…and to do that he needs the blood of the doppelganger; a _human_ doppelganger. Looks like you lose." She smiled and started walking away.

"Wait!" Elena called out. "We need the moonstone."

Katherine turned around and gave her an incredulous look. "And you think I'm just going to hand it over to you? You're stupider than he is." Her eyes shifted from her twin's to Damon.

"If you give us the moonstone, we'll let you out." Elena bargained.

Katherine smiled deviously. "Thanks, but no…I'm safer down here. Good luck with that though."

Damon had a serious look on his face as he approached the barrier. "I have a plan Katherine-"

Katherine cocked her head to the side and cut him off. "Well that's a surprise."

"I have a plan and if you wanna live a life of freedom without having to look over you're shoulder all the time I suggest you help us." Damon continued strongly.

She pretended to consider it, looking up in thought. "Umm, no. Going up against Klaus is a death sentence. I'd rather not have my heart ripped out thank you."

"It's a good plan but we can't do it alone." He whispered the second part so only she could hear. "Katherine she's your direct descendant. She's the only family you have left…are you really gonna just let her die?"

She kept her eyes pinned on his. "Why do you think I came back to Mystic Falls, to see you and Stefan? I was gonna hand her over to Klaus anyway." She grinned when Damon glared at her. "You should know by now Damon…I only look out for myself. Elena's best bet at staying alive is to die. Klaus doesn't have any use for a vampire."

Damon looked her up and down in disgust. "Bonnie…do it."

Bonnie and Lucy placed their hands in front of the shield and started chanting quietly. They were counting on her weakness to capture her, but when the barrier opened Katherine rushed to Lucy and bit into her neck taking a few pulls before Bonnie started giving her aneurisms. It worked long enough to make her stop drinking, but Katherine was stronger now. She threw Lucy across the room, and pinned Bonnie with her eyes. "Thanks for the juice up." She sped out knocking Caroline out of the way as she did.

When she was gone, Damon rushed to Lucy intending to give her blood to heal her. Bonnie stopped him and kneeled next to her. "It's okay." She placed her hands over her neck and chanted quietly with her eyes closed. The wound closed slowly and Lucy pulled herself to her feet with Bonnie's help.

Damon was in shock. "I didn't think she was gonna have that much strength. I underestimated her…I'm sorry." He said with unease.

Bonnie walked over to him. "It's okay Damon…I thought I'd be able to hold her down but she was stronger than I thought."

"Are you okay, Lucy?" Elena asked.

She smiled warily. "Yeah…I'll be fine. She didn't take much. Although she does have Bennett blood in her now, and the power that we just channeled. She's extremely dangerous right now."

Caroline wiped herself off and flipped her hair out of her eyes. "Not forever I hope."

Lucy shook her head. "It'll run its course…a day maybe two." They gathered their belongings before slowly making their way out of the tomb.

Elena turned to Damon. "So what's this plan, you mentioned to Katherine? Was it real, or just something to get her out?" Elena couldn't believe her luck. Not only did she have the Originals after her but now Katherine was loose again. Could her life get any worse?

Damon looked at her. "Both…she was going to hand you over to Klaus that's why she came back."

Elena looked at him wide eyed. "Well what's going to stop her from doing it now?" her voice was shrill and panicked.

Damon gave her a lopsided smile. "I'm counting on it." They hopped in the car and headed towards Elena's.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elijah reached the steps first. Brea sped up from behind him with Ramsey, Quinn and Marques.

Marques looked at the ruins in front of him. "This is the church?" he frowned.

"All that's left is the tomb since the fire." Brea waltzed down the steps.

Marques followed her with the others behind him. "I'm going to make Katerina wish she died in that fire." He promised. He was the youngest, and had a personal vendetta with Katherine. She used him to get what she wanted then left when she got it, the moonstone.

"You're not going to touch Katerina because Klaus will have your head if you do. This is not the time for your vengeance." Ramsey stated offhandedly.

"Elijah!" Brea called out. "Didn't you say the girl told you Katerina was _locked_ in the tomb?"

"Yes." He said coming up behind her.

"Then _why_ is she not here!" Brea screamed as she gestured to the empty tomb.

Author's Note: okay a nice long one for you! I watched Vampire Diaries tonight and was inspired! Loved that episode, love Katherine's back story and I will be picking and choosing from it to use in this story. I hope you liked the chapter and please review to let me know you're still into it. I'm excited to bring Katherine into this mess…I love her! It's just starting to get interesting so stay tuned!

If you wanna know what Bonnie and Lucy chanted in Latin it's translated below.

'Cronus; God of time, grant us the power of which we need to fight. Restore our body with the strength of our past sisters and place in our hands the power to overcome.'


	6. Animal

Chapter 6: Animal

It had been three days since Katherine escaped the tomb and Elena was a prisoner in her own home. She was scared for her family and scared for herself. Damon offered to compel Jenna to stay home and not invite anyone in until this was over and Elena reluctantly agreed.

It wasn't safe anywhere but here. Damon had been practically staying here going back to the Boarding House quickly then coming back. Caroline, Bonnie and Lucy also decided to stay to help keep the shield up.

Elena wondered if Stefan knew about what was going on…and why he wasn't here. He couldn't possibly be that mad at her that he didn't want to help. She hadn't heard from him since they broke up and she was worried. She couldn't even go to the Boarding House to visit him because Damon wouldn't let her leave.

She walked into the kitchen to find everyone in the kitchen making breakfast. Jenna was flipping omelets and Caroline was leaning against the wall drinking greedily from a mug. Elena mumbled a morning as she shuffled in.

Caroline pushed off the wall and walked to Elena. "Hey…Damon wanted me to tell you that he had to run back to the Boarding House. He should be back soon." She took another gulp and red stained her lips. Elena looked at the mug and then Jenna, silently asking if she noticed. "Oh Damon gave me some of his stash…I was starving, but don't worry Jenna doesn't know a thing."

Elena sighed in relief. "Good. Where's Jeremy?"

Caroline looked up. "In his room…still sleeping by the sounds of it."

"Have you heard from Stefan? He's been helping you with the hunting and stuff right?" Elena asked quietly.

The blonde crinkled her brow. "Nope…he's been MIA for a while. Probably brooding away cause you broke up with him." She said nonchalantly, and then apologized when she saw the hurt on Elena's face. "I'm sorry…that was so bitchy of me."

Elena sat down at the table. "No you're right…I should probably go see him, but Damon would kill me if I left this house." He rested her head on the palm of her hand.

Caroline sat down next to her. "Well I don't think he'd be _as_ mad if you hand some vampire protection." She offered. "I'll come with you; I can test out my tracking skills."

Elena perked up. "Okay! Thank you, Caroline." Elena hopped up and ran upstairs to get ready before they headed out.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Damon moved around in his room grabbing things to bring back to Elena's. They needed to be as prepared as possible. He packed stakes, vervain darts, other weapons and some books for research.

He turned when he saw Elena in the door. "I thought I told you to stay home." He ground out as he stepped closer to her.

"You know I was never the type to follow orders." Katherine drawled taking slow steps toward him. "That was very rude of you to lock Stefan up in the basement, he was _soo _hungry." She stated innocently.

Damon sped up to her and pinned her to the wall. "You let him out!" he snarled in her face.

Katherine laughed and flipped him, pushing his face into the wall and holding his hand behind his back. "Of course…I know what it's like to be locked up. It sucks." She let him go and walked to his desk, filled with books and pages of her history, and the history of the Originals. "So you guys really have been doing your research. What the hell makes you think you can beat them? They are a _thousand _of years older than you! They could rip you in half before you could blink." She turned back to the desk flipping through the worn pages.

"Yeah…I had a pleasant encounter with a pretty red-head just the other day." Damon walked back towards her and glared at her back.

Katherine smiled. "Ah so you've met Brea. She's feisty. She doesn't like me very much though, could be because I slept with her mate." She looked up and raised a brow. "Or maybe it was the angry mob I set on her trail in 1518." She shrugged. "I can never remember."

Damon rolled his eyes dramatically. "Why are you here Katherine? I thought you'd be running for you're life by now."

The elder vampire cocked her head to the side. "I've been thinking-"

Damon smirked. "That's a dangerous past time." He teased crossing his arms.

Katherine smiled cheekily. "I'm sick of running." She continued seriously. "I've been running all my life and I'm tired. We can't kill Klaus it's next to impossible, and I know you won't let Elena die at his hands…you'd probably die trying to save her." He just shrugged and she continued. "Does Stefan know…that his girlfriend is the one that makes your heart go pitter-pat?" she rolled her eyes. "Metaphorically, of course."

"He knows…but she doesn't. And that's all the matters." Damon swung his eyes away from her intense stare.

"Do you love her because she looks like me?" she asked seriously. This was the first time the two of them had a decent chat, and she would never admit that a part of her missed this.

Damon locked his eyes on her again. "I love her because she's _nothing_ like you." His voice was hard with anger.

She frowned. "Ouch…" she put her hand to her heart, and then got back to her reason for coming. "Look, I'll help you." She reluctantly said in a flat voice. "So tell me what this plan is and I'll tell you if it'll work." She said quickly looking around his room. Damon just stared at her, not believing her words. "You know you don't stand a chance without me Damon."

"How do I know you're not gonna stab me in the back?" he squinted his eyes at her and then raised a brow.

Katherine sighed and cocked her hip to the side. "You don't. But if I even try to strike a deal with Klaus the most I'll get for my efforts is a stake through the heart. He's kinda mad at me." She stated looking at her nails. She looked up at him and dropped her nonchalant act. "538 years Damon…538 years and it's still not enough. I don't want to die…and neither do you so tell me the fucking plan."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Caroline was driving to the Boarding House with Elena in the passenger seat and frowned when Stefan's scent moved in a different direction. "Hm…" she turned the car and drove in the opposite direction.

Elena looked at Caroline. "Where are we going, the Boarding House is the other way."

"I know…but Stefan's not there anymore. I can smell him this way." She continued to drive, not really knowing where Stefan was leading them.

Elena shook her head in disgust. "That's so weird." She frowned when they pulled up at the Grill. "He's here?" they got out of the car and Caroline followed his scent to the back alley. They stopped and the vampire sniffed again. "I don't see him Care…maybe he left." Elena looked around but saw no one.

"Jump on my back." Caroline took Elena and then they took off. Elena could only make out trees and green so she assumed they were in the forest. They stopped suddenly and she fell off her friend's back.

"Thanks Caroline. A softer landing would have been nice." She stood up and brushed herself off and looked at Caroline who was looking in front of her with shock all over her face. "What?" She followed her eyes to see Stefan viciously tearing into a girl's throat. She was limp and pale in his arms as he continued to drink. "Oh my God, Stefan?" she tried to keep the bile from rising in her throat when he looked over at her with black eyes.

He didn't even look like the Stefan she knew. He looked like a monster, with blood all over his face and his fangs descended. He snarled at her and hugged the body closer like she was going to take it from him.

"I can't be here anymore, Elena…the blood i-it's too much." Caroline stuttered as her veins popped out under eyes.

Elena couldn't take her eyes off Stefan. "Okay…let's go. We need to tell Damon." Caroline grabbed her and they took off back to Elena's.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Katherine sipped the blood Damon handed to her. "It's a good plan, Damon. I'm impressed…We could all still die, but it might just work."

Damon sighed and sat in the chair across from her in the parlor room. "I know…but it's our only chance." He leaned forward and caught her eyes with his. "I am trusting you, Katherine…I promised myself I would never trust you again, but I'm willing to make an exception…for Elena's sake."

Katherine finished her drink and leaned forward too. "You have my word." She gracefully stood and placed the glass on the coffee table. "Anyways…I should let you find Stefan; chances are he went _crawling_ back to Elena." She said distastefully before strolling out the front door, her heels clicking as she did. "I'll be in touch."

Damon shot up, just now remembering his brother. Katherine distracted him…on purpose no doubt. He sped out of the boarding house and followed his scent, stopping in the woods where he found the dirt and leaves soaked in blood. He turned and punched a tree, creating a splintering hole and a crack up the trunk. At least Stefan had the decency to get rid of the body.

He was about to continue on the trail when his phone buzzed. He whipped it out and tried to calm himself before answering. He didn't want to scare her.

"Hey."

"Damon…" her voice was full of fear and tears.

"What is it? What happened?" Damon was already heading to her house.

"It's Stefan..." she sobbed. "He killed someone! Please come here…I'm scared."

"I'm already here…get Bonnie." He decided to go up to her room knowing that's where she was. By the time he leaped to her window, Bonnie had already brought the shield down. He climbed in to see Elena sitting on the edge of her bed shaking, her face wet with her tears.

When she saw him she jumped up and through herself in his arms, and burying her face in his chest. "I've never seen him like that Damon…" she mumbled before looking up at him. "He looked like an animal, feeding off her like that. He didn't even recognize me." Damon held her face in his hands as he wiped away her tears.

"It's okay…I'm gonna take care of this." He soothed kissing the crown of her hair.

"I'm so glad you're here." She closed her eyes and let him hold her. It felt good to be comforted by him. The way his hands held her close and his kiss on her head made her feel so safe…even with her ex boyfriend out killing people. "He's on human blood, Damon. He can't be out there!" she exclaimed.

He sighed. "I know." His voice was so calm and quiet that it made her pull away to look at his face.

"You know? Did you see him too?" she questioned, her face scrunched in confusion.

Damon looked away and sat on the edge of the bed. "No but I saw the mess he left behind." He paused before looking back up at her. "Elena I need to tell you something. I knew that Stefan was drinking human blood…before today." He waited for her to blow up.

"What! Damon, are you serious? Why didn't you tell me?" Her face hardened with anger and she crossed her arms over her chest.

He stood again and stepped closer, only to have her step back. "Because I promised him I wouldn't unless someone got hurt." She was about to yell some more when he cut her off. "That day I went back to the Boarding House to find out what he talked to Alaric about I found him in his bedroom surrounded by empty blood bags. He was hurt Elena, and he thought he was insignificant so he filled the void." He explained with pain for his brother in his voice. He'd been there himself before. "I promised I'd _help _him…and I was Elena, I was keeping an eye on him, helping him control the cravings. I was just starting to break some ground, I had him locked up in the basement and he was fine…and then Katherine let him out." Damon admitted throwing his arm in a general gesture to the window.

Elena's eyes bugged out. "Katherine? She was at the Boarding House?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Yeah…she just wanted to rub it in how _dead _we're all gonna be when Klaus is through with us." He ran his hands over his face, collapsing on the bed and laying back. "I'm sorry Elena…I wanted to tell you, but he begged me not to. He's my brother." Elena nodded knowing that she would have done the same for Jeremy.

She sat beside him, and looked down at the worry etched on his face. "I understand…so what are we going to do about Stefan? Clearly, locking him up didn't work. What if Katherine is getting to him; making him go on a killing spree?" God his eyes were blue…She never realized just how blue they are.

Damon shook his head, and lolled it to look at her. "No…Katherine's not that stupid. She knows The Originals are looking for her so she's gonna want to keep a low profile. I'll find him and lock him back up…that's all I can do." He sat up and headed to the window. "Maybe beat him silly too." He added as an afterthought.

"Wait." Elena called. She walked to stand in front of him. "Are you coming back?" she darted her eyes away then locked them on him again. "I'd feel safer if you were here."

Damon frowned, not used to hearing her direct words like that towards him. He quickly smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder giving it a light squeeze. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He turned and was about to step through the window. "Don't miss me too much." He winked and then was knocked back by the barrier. He huffed and rubbed his head. "Well that was smooth." Damon mumbled. "Bonnie!" he hollered. "Shield down…please." He added as an afterthought, and then shot Elena a smile when she giggled. "Call me if you need anything." He tested to make sure the shield was down before hoping out and taking off running.

Elena watched him blur out into the woods and smiled. How did he change so quickly? How did he go from being the bad brother to the good one? How did he start caring so much about this town and the people around him? In the back of her brain there was a voice that screamed her own name, but she wouldn't believe that she was the only reason for his change.

The past few days Damon had taken charge and unknowingly proved himself to her friends. Bonnie was becoming more tolerable of him and Caroline's hatred of him was waning. Although his snarky comments and sarcastic attitude was still there, his walls weren't built as high as they used to be. And for that she was thankful.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Stefan's eyes slowly opened as the haze lifted from his mind.

"Good morning, Sunshine." Damon said cheerily from his crouched position in front of his brother. "You look so sweet in slumber." He teased, resting his cheek against his palm.

Stefan lunged toward him, with his fangs bared and growling. He couldn't move far due to his hands being tied to the chair the rest of his body was bound to. When he realized this Stefan struggled harder.

"No point in doing that, bro. I did them up tight…I know how you like it rough." He joked watching Stefan snarl and sneer at him. "Oh, looks like you got a bit of drool." Damon smirked as he reached to wipe it off, and then snatched his hand back as Stefan snapped at him. "Hey!" Damon scolded. "Bad dog."

"Let me go Damon." Stefan ground out, glaring at him.

"Mmm, no. You see…you fucked up today." Damon stood and paced in front of him. "I told you I wouldn't tell Elena unless someone got hurt. Well guess what…not only did someone get hurt, but you _killed_ someone!" The older brother got right in his face looking at him with anger all over his face. "Elena saw that. She saw you tear that girl's throat out, and she'll probably never look at you the same again! Are you prepared to lose her Stefan, because you continue down this road and I can promise you that's what's going to happen!" his eyes were intense as he stared at his brother's emotionless face.

Stefan smirked. "I've already lost her, Damon. I don't care anymore." It was with those words that Damon realized that Stefan flipped the switch. He shut off his emotions to everything and everyone. "Now let me go…I'm hungry."

Damon scoffed. "Yeah, okay." He turned around and headed towards the door. "Now you sit in here and think about what you've done." He mock scolded before he slammed the basement door behind him.

"Shit." Damon cursed as he made his way back upstairs. Stefan lost it and he didn't know how long it would take for him to come to his senses. Damon didn't have time to baby sit with the Originals after Elena. He poured himself a glass of bourbon while he contemplated what to do with his brother.

He couldn't keep him locked up forever, and he couldn't let him out with his uncontrolled blood lust. He could try feeding him animal blood again but that could aggravate him even more. Damon covered his face with his hand. He had no idea what to do. He finished his drink before heading back to Elena's with the bag he packed earlier that day.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Hey." Bonnie said from the doorway. "Did Damon leave?"

Elena looked away from the window and motioned for her to come in. "Yeah…he's gonna take care of the Stefan situation then come back."

Bonnie sat on the window ledge and pulled one leg under her. "Can you believe it? Stefan was the good one…I never thought that he'd…" she trailed off when she saw the sadness cover her friend's face.

"Oh how the tables have turned." Elena said bitterly, still looking out the window. "This is my fault…he started drinking human blood again because _I _drove him to it."

Bonnie shook her head vehemently. "No, Elena! This isn't you're fault, okay. Stefan was weak and he let it take over him. Don't blame yourself for his mistake." She said strongly. She took her hand and smiled crookedly. "I never thought I'd say this but…I'm glad you have Damon here to help you through this. He's really growing as a person…vampire, whatever." She rolled her eyes.

Elena laughed. "Yeah he is…I know he doesn't show it, but he really does care about this town, Bonnie. It was his home once." She claimed, trying to get Bonnie to see that they wanted the same thing.

Bonnie nodded. "I know…I see that now." She stood up. "I'm gonna head home for a little while and grab some things. Lucy will be here though and same with Caroline. Try not to hibernate up here the whole time Damon's gone, kay?" Bonnie teased as she stepped out.

Elena sighed and nodded to herself before looking out the window one last time. She ambled down the stairs to visit with Jenna, Jeremy and the rest of the crew. Jeremy was doing great at distracting Jenna from the weirdness that was going on, and Alaric offered to let her stay with him for the next few days which Elena was very grateful for.

Everyone around her chatted and joked, but for some reason Elena felt like she couldn't get into it. The jokes weren't funny and the conversation was unimportant, and she felt like something was missing. _Damon._ She missed him…she'd been spending nearly every waking minute with him at her side and today she'd seen him for no more than ten minutes before he had to leave. She was bored.

"Elena?" Jenna asked trying to catch her gaze. "You okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah…yeah I'm fine. I'm gonna get a drink." She stood and rushed to the kitchen grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and guzzling half of it down. She leaned against the counter took a deep breath to stop herself from crying. There was so much pressure, so much going on that she couldn't help but carry the burden for. Stefan's recent blood habit, being Katherine's doppelganger, the danger she's put her friends and family in, and Damon's feelings….and her growing feelings for him. Was it something that was already there? Or were these feelings stirring because of what he told her that night? She didn't know.

She collected herself before heading back into the living room.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Brea sat with one leg crossed over the other glaring at the wall. "She has that moonstone, Ramsey…Without the moonstone we can't break the curse."

Ramsey placed his hands on her shoulders as he stood behind her. "Its okay, love…we'll get it. Katerina has to show her face at some point, she can't hide forever." He pushed the strap on her shoulder away and placed a kiss there.

Brea chuckled darkly. "Yes she can, Ramsey. She's been hiding this whole time. You know she has her tricks…she tricked you once." She turned her face up to look at him.

Ramsey frowned. "That was centuries ago…and if I recall correctly she tricked you too." They shared a laugh. "Klaus will come soon enough…and when he does, she'll come running with her tail between her legs." He moved around the chair and gently pulled her up and sat down, then pulling her to sit back in his lap.

"Klaus will not grant her mercy." Brea laughed before kissing her mate passionately.

Author's Note: thank you for you reviews! Sorry it took me a little while to put out another chapter but I was a little busy. Only one more chapter until Klaus shows up…what's he gonna do and how's he gonna do it? And how bout that with Stefan…did anyone see that coming? I did lol mostly because I thought it up and now I'm rambling.

Next Chapter preview: more back story on the Originals and Katherine's story. And a visitor of course!

Thanks you for reading…please review!

Love you guyys


	7. Telling Tales Part I

Author's Note: I was going to do this all in one Chapter but there's just too much to tell in one so I'm going to break this into two parts!

Chapter 7: Telling Tales Part I

By the time Damon got back to Elena's house everyone was already sleeping. It was only ten but he knew everyone was exhausted. Damon didn't know why he felt this way but he didn't feel it was necessary to wake Bonnie or Lucy to let him in.

He stared from the open window at Elena's curled up form on her bed. Her back was turned and her chestnut colored hair was fanned out on her pillow. He knew she hadn't quite found slumber yet, but didn't want to alert her of his presence. He could handle a night out here just making sure she was okay.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Marques sat nursing a scotch in the room he picked out in the mansion. He had hatred running through his veins fueling his determination to kill Katherine. She deceived him and she would pay for it with her life.

"Drinking yourself into a stupor…over Katherine?" Quinn asked waltzing into Marques' room.

The youngest Original only turned his eyes to look at Quinn. "I thought I told you to stay out of my head with your psyche reading." Marques took a long swallow and leaned his head against the back of the chair.

Quinn laughed and sat in the chair across from him. "I wasn't in your head! It was just an observation. I get it…you're pissed at her, but you heard Ramsey this isn't the time for your vengeance. Klaus has plans for her." Quinn pulled a cigarette out of the pack in his front pocket and lit it. He took a long drag and blew it out. "Katherine will get what's comin' to her, he'll make sure of that." He drawled out in his Irish inflection.

Marques shook his head. "Nothing Klaus will do will be what she deserves." He mumbled.

Quinn laughed. "Wow Marq…you really have quiet the imagination if you think that!" he flicked the filter with his thumb, knocking the ash off the end.

"She betrayed me!" Marques pinned his eyes on the older vampire.

Quinn rolled his eyes. "She betrayed us all. What separates you from the rest of us?" When all Marques did was continue to glare, Quinn's eyes lit up. "You loved her! Well that's rich! You should have known to never fall in love with a Petrova girl." Quinn paused and pointed at him. "Look what happened with Klaus...and Tatiana. It's best to keep you're feelings out of it when it comes to a Petrova." Quinn puffed on his cigarette again before standing and leaving the room.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena woke up and stretched lithely. It was hard for her to fall asleep last night knowing Damon hadn't come back. She was sure he was okay, but he promised he'd be back. She looked over to her window, and saw that she had left it open last night. She went to close it and jumped out of her skin when she heard his voice.

"Hello, Elena." He smirked knowing he would get a reaction.

She placed a hand over her heart and sighed in relief. "Jesus Damon you scared me." She playfully smacked his arm. "Why didn't you come back last night?" she crossed her arms over her chest, trying to be mad at him but she couldn't when he gave her that half smile.

"I did." He admitted as he casually leaned against the barrier. She giggled at his ability to use it as a support for his weight.

She frowned. "You did?" If he came back last night, what was he doing outside her window?

He nodded. "Everyone was sleeping, you guys were exhausted so I didn't wake Bonnie or Lucy to let me in." he shrugged as if it were nothing. But Elena knew it was something.

She raised a brow and titled her head a little. "So you stayed outside my window all night just so you could let us sleep?" she reached forward and touched his forehead. "Are you okay? You're not getting sick are you?" she teased.

He mocked laughed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah I know, it was a little…out of character for me, but after everything with The Originals and now with Stefan too, I figured sleep was rare in this household; although I would like to come in _now_...if that's not too much to ask." He hinted sarcastically as he blinked his eyes innocently.

Elena laughed and went to get Bonnie. Bonnie walked in to see Damon leaning against the barrier looking out to the sky lost in thought. She didn't warn him, she just brought down the shield and watched and laughed as he fell into Elena's room ass first.

Even Elena couldn't stop herself from clutching her stomach. Damon shot up and turned around to glare at the witch. She shrugged. "Sorry…I couldn't resist. It's amusing to see you be graceless for a change." Bonnie gave him a half smirk.

Damon frowned, his eyes darting to the side before locking on her again. "Was that a compliment?" When Bonnie just smiled audaciously and left, Damon turned back to Elena. He clapped his hands together loudly. "Get dressed…we're going out."

Elena sighed in relief. "Thank God! Where are we going?" she moved to her closest to pick out what she was going to wear for the day.

"Boarding House." When she turned and gave him a look that clearly said 'really?' he continued. "I know, not exactly a place you want to be but we have company waiting for us there." He said cryptically.

Elena sighed and shooed Damon out of her room so she could get ready.

Twenty minutes later Damon and Elena pulled into the driveway. They both stayed in the car for a minute. "Who are we meeting here Damon? If it's Stefan I _don't _want to talk to him." She affirmed resolutely.

"It's not Stefan." She stepped out of the car and a spilt second later he was at Elena's door opening it for her. When she stepped out they slowly walked up to the door and entered with Damon leading her to the living room.

"You didn't answer my question Damon." She chided. "Who are we meeting here?" Her question was answered when she heard the tell tale sound of heels clicking on hardwood.

"Hello Elena." Katherine greeted in her usual way. "It seems we need to talk…drink?" Katherine held up her glass in offering which clearly contained a sticky red substance.

Elena's eyes were wide in horror, and then she turned to Damon who seemed perfectly calm. "What's going on? Why is she here?" she asked trying to keep her voice from trembling.

Katherine continued to saunter over until she stood in front of her doppelganger. She took a sip from the glass, and licked her lips. "I told you Elena…it's about time we talk. If you want to live you're going to have to learn how to survive first…and to do that, you need to learn how _I_ survived. You want a history lesson?" Katherine asked sinisterly, her dark eyes boring into Elena's.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It had been ages since he had been back to this town. And he marveled at how different and yet the same it was; the old buildings, the close knit community, the air of supernatural energy. He looked out the window as the human he compelled drove him through Mystic Falls. He smiled to himself when he pulled up to the sidewalk next to a modest sized house. _Her _house. His smile turned into a baleful smirk when she skipped down the porch steps followed by none other than Damon Salvatore, and hopped into the black car in the driveway.

He commanded the human to pull away, and head to the address Brea gave him. He was enthused to hear they had found the doppelganger, and not only her but Katherine as well. Ah Katherine…she that deceived him, stealing his moonstone and running leaving him to wait hundreds of years to find her yet again. Soon he would have both Petrova's at his capable hands and the thought thrilled him to now end.

Today he would learn his surroundings, reunite with family and feed…tomorrow he would study her.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Katherine placed a hand on Elena's shoulder and pushed her down into a chair. "To know who you are you have to know where you came from." She sat across from her on the couch crossing her legs and Damon sat on the arm of the comfy chair Elena was sitting on. "In Bulgaria in 1490 I had a child. A girl…out of wedlock. I was considered a shame, a disgrace to my family and I was cast out of Bulgaria and forced to abandon my daughter." Katherine's voice didn't hold any emotion as she spoke and her eyes would shift from Elena to the glass in her hand. "I had no where to go and nothing to my name, so image how _thrilled_ I was when I met a handsome nobleman willing to help me out." Her eyes rolled bitterly when she said 'thrilled'. She took another sip of blood.

"Klaus." Elena stated, already knowingly that's who she was talking about.

Katherine nodded once. "I was taken with him at first…" he eyes locked coldly on Elena's. "Until I found out what he was, and what he wanted from me. He took me to England and helped me to adapt and fit in." She finished her blood and stood up, moving to pour herself a strong drink. "I had heard a story when I was a little girl from my family about an ancestor of mine that met an untimely death at the hands of a shaman. She was a sacrifice for the 'curse of the monsters' as they told me." Katherine moved back to the couch and resumed her position. "I thought it was just a tall tale until I overheard Klaus talking about the Sun and the Moon curse with Brea and Ramsey one evening."

_1490 England_

"_It is her Klaus…after two hundred years the doppelganger has finally shown herself. The curse can finally be broken!" Brea exclaimed happily._

_Klaus sat at the desk with his feet up flipping the moonstone in his hand. "Yes…we have the doppelganger in our possession, the witch should be easy enough to find; it is only the lycanthrope we may have trouble tracking down." He contemplated, his brow furrowed deep in though, his voice deep in his German intonation._

"_And the vampire sacrifice?" Ramsey asked from Brea's side._

_Klaus waved a hand at him in a sign of dismissal. "Not to worry…any one of you should find it easy to damn a poor soul. My concern is Katerina."_

_Katerina swallowed hard from behind the wall. _

"_She is insolent and defies me daily." He squinted in discontent. "I worried she will lose interest in my charm."_

_Brea frowned prettily. "Why do you not compel her? Surely she would not protest then."_

_Klaus locked eyes on her and smiled. "I happen to like the fight in her; it gratifies me to no end. Much like Tatiana." His eyes quickly cast downward before he shot out of his seat to stand in front of the couple. "Unfortunately for her, she will fight no more." A smirk grew on his handsome face. "In a few days time, every drop of Katerina's blood will be drained from her body, and every vampire hiding in the shadows may finally walk in the daylight."_

_They all laughed, while Katerina covered her mouth and stepped back quietly. "Give this the Marques for safe keeping, he has proven himself greatly as of late." That was all Katerina heard before rushing back to her chambers._

Katherine sighed looking at Damon then Elena. "So I ran like hell…but not before grabbing something first."

_Later that night Katerina prepared herself for her mission. Dressed in only her night wear, which was a white silk gown, she padded as quietly as she could to Marques' room. It was in the far wing of the manor, and it took her a while to get there. Thankfully Klaus, Brea and Ramsey were hunting, leaving only Quinn and Marques in the large manor. Quinn was entertaining a guest in his own chambers so Katerina was confident in herself to complete her goal._

_She didn't have to knock, because Marques had the door open before she could. "Miss Katerina." He greeted with a question in his eyes. He was the youngest of the Originals, founded by Klaus and the others in America nearly four hundred years prior. "What are you doing out of your chambers?" his dark hair was ruffled with sleep and he pulled his rob around his lithe form. Katerina appreciated his boyish looks before batting her eyes at him._

"_I was frightened." She started feigning the English accent she acquired when moving here. "The storm outside leaves me sleepless…I was hoping I might find comfort in _your _chambers." She flirted, stepping into the room._

_Marques turned around and looked at her with fear on his face. "You must not be in here, Katerina. If Klaus were to find out-"_

"_Which he wont." She cut him off with a smile. She stepped up to him and placed a hand to his chest. "I promise." She turned her eyes down sheepishly. "I cannot hide the way I feel, Marques. It is not easy to pretend I am not fond of you." She caught his eyes and smiled sweetly. "On the nights that Klaus will have me in his chambers…" she feigned an uneasy tone in her voice. "I pretend the hands touching me belong to you." Katerina trailed both hands up and down his chest as she gazed lovingly in his eyes. "For one night I would like not to pretend." She hinted and before she knew it Marques kissed her passionately before kissing a trail down her neck and chest._

_Katerina took that moment to scan the room for what she came for. She found the wooden box that she was sure contained the moonstone sitting on the bedside table and smiled. _

"_Mmm…Marques." She whispered breathlessly. "Please do not tease me any further." Marques led her to the bed and proceeded to show her the love that he hid for her sake as well as his own. _

_She was surprised by how great of a lover he was. He was attentive and gentle, and brought her to release many times before he did so himself. She was happily sated and a little sore when he fell to her side, brushing the hair away from her face._

"_Oh that was amazing!" she over gushed, building his ego. She winced as she stretched her body. "The only downfall is the pain I will carry tomorrow." She giggled bashfully and rolled towards him placing her hand on his naked chest._

_Marques smiled and tapped her nose. "Well that will just not do, will it my love?" he asked kissing her supple lips. "Klaus would find that suspicious. We must heal you quick." He let his fangs descend before biting into his wrist. _

_She smiled. It worked just as she hoped it would. Marques would be too afraid Klaus would find out and kill him that he would not risk suspicious. She clamped her lips around the holes he created and drank deeply._

Elena frowned. "You tricked him."

She nodded. "I had to. I needed that moonstone…it was the only reassurance I had that I would be safe, that and Marques' blood in my system." Katherine sighed and looked at her nails. "I waited for the right moment. He left his chambers to make sure Klaus was still out of the manor. I grabbed the moonstone and hid it in my shift before telling him I was retiring to my room. He didn't ask questions. The next morning I ran." Katherine told them. "I got as far as I could before I hung myself from a tree." She smiled bitterly.

Elena gasped. "You turned yourself." She stated in realization.

"Yup." Katherine popped the 'p'. "I knew it was my only way out. They needed human blood, as a vampire I was no good to them. I had to protect myself." She shrugged.

Damon frowned from his position beside Elena. "What happened next?"

Katherine's eyes turned soft and she looked to a spot just above Elena's head. "They chased me down, and when I didn't turn up…they sent me a message." She took a calming breath. "He killed my family; my mother, my father, my sisters, everyone I loved…he wanted me to suffer."

Elena studied Katherine, and noticed that speaking of her family was her vulnerability. It made her feel something; pain, remorse, guilt. And just as quick as she showed it, she shut it off.

"Klaus doesn't give up. I ran for hundreds of years before he found me again…well Ramsey did. I tried to keep a low profile in Mystic Falls, but he found me anyway. So, I thought up a plan to fake my death so I could finally live freely." Katherine swung her eyes to look at Damon and glared at him. "But someone fucked it up. Damon, trying to be the hero, attempted to free me…getting both you and your brother killed in the process." She grumbled sipping her drink. "So I handed off the moonstone to George Lockwood in exchange for my freedom, knowing he had no idea how to use it." She chuckled darkly.

Elena took it all in, putting together all missing pieces. Her head shot up when she remembered something. "Who's Tatiana?"

Katherine smirked. "I'm glad you asked."

Author's Note: Okay so there's part one of Tall Tales. Like I said before I'm going to be using facts Katherine stated in the show as well as some facts of my own. Hopefully it all makes sense to you, but if you have any questions I'll clear them up for you. Rose didn't turn Katherine in this story mostly because I wanted to show how Katherine was devious even before she was turned. I know she tricked Trevor, who still applies but I wanted it to be an Original to give the story a little more plot. Next chapter you're going to learn about Tatiana…who she was and what happened with her. Thank you for reading…please review!


	8. Telling Tales Part II

Author's Note: Yay chapter 8 is up…sorry for the wait guys….so bummed by the way that vampire diaries isn't on tonight! : ( Hope you like it! The next chapter will be the start of intensity!

Vanessa

Chapter 8: Telling Tales Part II

Elena took it all in, putting together all missing pieces. Her head shot up when she remembered something. "Who's Tatiana?"

Katherine smirked. "I'm glad you asked." She held her now empty glass out. "Damon…refill." Damon rolled his eyes and snatched the glass out of her hand and took it to the kitchen to get her a glass of blood. When he left the room she started talking.

"In 1270 there was a girl by the name of Tatiana Petrova. She was forced into betrothal by the age of fifteen which in that time wasn't unheard of. She had a child, a daughter when she was sixteen." Damon came back into the room and shoved the glass in her face. She grabbed it and threw a glare at his back. "She hated her life…she grew up on a farm where she had freedom and enjoyment and now she was subjected to an imperial lifestyle; propriety, high status, restrictions. She would pray for the day that something would save her. Years went by and slowly she lost her joy for life until a handsome man caught eye of her. She didn't know him…but she dreamt of him. Every once in a while she would see him hanging around the manor staring at her."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Can you get to the part where you make a long story short?" Elena shot him a look for ruining the mood.

Katherine sighed and leaned back into the chair, drinking her blood. "Fine. With little convincing she left with him. He promised her a free life, a life where propriety was non existent and she didn't have to obey her husband's wishes. She spent three years with him. He told her what he was and she accepted it, promising that one day they could spend eternity together. They were in _love_." She said the words with distaste.

"Something happened? Something went wrong, didn't it?" Elena asked with a frown. Katherine was telling her a story about Klaus and how everything started…but she was also telling Elena a story about her heritage and where she came from. She understood now her rebellious streak, and how she would go against the grain of what was good for her. Tatiana did it, Katherine did it and so did Isobel.

"Obviously." Katherine drawled. "Word got around quickly through Bulgaria that Tatiana had been spending her time with this Legend. A creature they all thought was a myth…and now that they knew he was real, they wanted to do something about it." She shrugged.

"The Shaman?" Damon added, partly to push the story along he was impatient.

Katherine sighed. "Yes. In around this time there were stories of rabid animal attacks. Some people were drained of their blood, and others were mauled. The Shaman came to realize that vampires weren't the only creatures roaming around, so they created a curse. Vampires couldn't walk in the daylight and werewolves could only turn on a full moon. As a way of showing Klaus that they meant business they used Tatiana as the sacrifice."

Elena shook her head. "They killed one of their own people? Just to prove a point?"

Katherine looked at her like she was stupid. "Yeah…Tatiana was an outcast now; she defied them…so she meant nothing. Anyway, the Shaman created a doppelganger as a precaution, just in case there were problems. When the doppelganger showed her face, the curse could be broken." She finished quickly, staring at Damon to tell her she was done.

Damon crossed his arms. "How old are these Originals?" he needed to know just how much he was up against.

Katherine's eyes bore into him. "You can't fight-"

"How old are they?" Damon cut her off rudely.

She rolled her eyes up. "They are all over a thousand years old, Damon. Brea and Klaus are the oldest." Her voice was bored and indignant. When Damon looked at her with his intense wide eyed stare, she knew he was waiting for more. She did the math quickly in her head. "Brea is 1230…and Klaus is 1389. Are you happy? Now you know just _how _dead you're going to be." She taunted looking at Elena's frightened face. "You know that no one is safe right? Klaus doesn't need an invite to get in; he can get into your _dreams_, Elena. Quinn can even read your mind." Elena noticed that even Katherine sounded a little scared…and that scared her even more.

Both vampires heard a noise and their heads shot in the direction of the basement. Damon calmed when he couldn't hear anything else. Katherine raised a brow at him. "It's just Stefan…he struggles sometimes."

Elena didn't hear the noise and was confused by what just happened. She didn't say anything she just back and took in everything Katherine just told her. It was so much…what were they going to do to stop this? Was she going to die at Klaus's hands and be the one to break the curse finally? Or was she going to die trying to get away? Something told her she wasn't getting out of this. She wanted to blame someone…but there was no one to blame. It wasn't Katherine's fault; she was just trying to protect herself like she was trying to do now. She couldn't blame Tatiana because well, first of all she was dead, and second because she had no idea what was going to happen to her…she was just following the fire inside her. _Petrova fire._ She could blame Klaus…but what good would that do? He was strong enough to flick her head right off her shoulders. She was thrown out of her thoughts when Katherine spoke.

"Damon…can I talk to you outside." It sounded like a question, but her voice clearly noted that it was a demand. Damon followed her outside where they seemed to be arguing. She could hear the heated conversation but couldn't make out the words.

She stood up thinking of grabbing something to drink. She glanced at the wet bar. She could use a _real_ drink. She walked over and picked a decanter…she had no idea what was in it, but it would do what she needed. She poured a drink and put the decanter back before feeling a hand clamp on her mouth. She was being held strongly against him and could barely breathe. She couldn't see her attacker, and closed her eyes when she felt him sped her upstairs; definitely a vampire. Was this Klaus…was it another Original, she didn't have much time to think.

She felt her body slam against a wall and she moaned against the hand still covering her mouth. Her body and head sagged, but it was held back up. She lifted her head and her eyes widened. She mumbled in shock behind his hand. "Stefan?"

"Shut up!" he pushed her against the wall again, his eyes dark and focused on her neck. "I'm so hungry." He commented.

Elena tried to struggle free from his grasp but it was no use. "Please Stefan…please let me go." She sobbed, tears streaming down her cheeks. His grip on her shoulders tightened and she felt something crack. She opened her mouth the wail in pain but Stefan covered her mouth again. She wept as Stefan turned her chin up and began sniffing out her neck and chest. "Damon and Katherine are downstairs, Stefan…they're gonna find out your loose." Her voice was a little muffled and was raspy with her tears. "Damon's going to freak out, please…just let me go and I won't tell him." Elena tried to bargain with him but he didn't even hear her. "Please Stefan…" she begged. "You don't want to do this."

"Yes…I do." She claimed quietly before biting down viciously into her neck. She screamed and howled in pain as his arms constricted around her pushing her blood up to the chalice that was her neck. He must have taken four full pulls before Damon was throwing him across the room. Damon's fangs were descended and the veins popped out under his eyes. Katherine stood out of the way, her pretty face unchanged.

Damon sped to Stefan, who had Elena's blood all over his face, picked him up by the shirt and threw him against the other wall. Elena slid down the wall clutching her neck with her hands trying to stop the bleeding. She felt herself fading quickly. Her eyes closed as Damon continued to beat the shit out of Stefan, and she thought she was going to pass out until she felt something sticky on her lips.

She opened her eyes and saw her own face looking down on her. "Drink. You'll feel better." Katherine's voice sounded so far away, but she held the arm offered to her and drank. She didn't have time to think that Katherine was feeding her blood or that Stefan just attacked her and was now getting the whooping of his life by Damon, she could only drink. She felt her body start to heal itself and Katherine pulled away when she heard Elena's heart rate pick up.

Elena heard the sounds of bones crunching and looked over at the brothers. Damon had Stefan pinned to the ground and was punching him repeatedly in the face. "Damon…" She moaned out, trying to get his attention, but he didn't seem to hear her. "Damon." She said louder.

His face shot up to look at her, and he quickly sped to her, leaving Stefan bloody behind him. Damon's face returned to normal and he looked her over in concern. "Are you okay? I'm sorry; I shouldn't have left you alone. I didn't think he'd get out." He rambled. He sounded scared…she'd never heard him sound this scared.

"I'm okay, Damon." Elena said smiling slightly. She glanced at Katherine, who looked away and hauled Stefan up, bringing him back to the basement. "Katherine…she healed me. I don't know why, but…" she saw the sadness on his face. "I'm okay."

He picked her up, supporting her back and knees, and brought her into his room. Elena rested her head on his chest and inhaled his scent. He made her feel so comforted, and safe in his arms. She frowned. _Did I just get attacked by my ex boyfriend? _She couldn't believe that was Stefan in that room. She knew he was on human blood, but she never thought he would attack her.

Damon laid her on his bed, and covered her up with the blankets. He kissed her forehead and headed for the door. "Wait." He turned around. "Where are you going?" Elena's voice was quiet and weak despite the blood she just consumed.

Damon smiled miserably. "I'm gonna go take care of Stefan…I'll be right back." He headed out of the room and to the basement. He felt a little bad about how badly he hurt Stefan, but when he saw him attacking Elena, something inside him snapped. His protective instincts for her took over and he couldn't do anything but make him pay for hurting her. Stefan needed to be put in his place…he was on a power trip and Damon needed to show him that he was the dominant one.

Damon pushed open the door to the room Stefan was laying in beaten and bloody. The door banged hard against the wall causing Stefan to look up. "What the _fuck_ is wrong with you?" Damon fumed in an eerily quiet voice. "You could have killed her!" his voice elevated.

Stefan pushed himself up slowly and stood face to face with his brother. "I know." There was little remorse, but Damon could tell that those words affected him. With the fresh human blood still running through his veins the guilt for what he'd done hadn't set in yet. But it would.

Damon pinned him with a hard stare before pushing him into the chair and squeezing his shoulder so hard it broke. Stefan growled in pain. Damon casually put on a pair of gloves and picked up the ropes that used to tie Stefan to the chair. He dipped them in vervain and tied him back up, ignoring his snarls and hollering. Damon tied his feet up with chains which locked around the chair legs that were bolted to the ground. Damon locked chains around his midsection too. Stefan couldn't even move. Stefan growled and his face changed.

Damon looked at him blankly before glancing at Katherine who was looking at him too. Damon walked out and she followed. Damon put several locks on the door and the two vampires ascended the stairs into the main floor. "Thank you." He finally broke the silence. "You didn't have to do that." He said meaning he didn't think Katherine would do that at all.

Katherine knew he was talking about feeding Elena. She shrugged. "I don't even know why I did it." She said nonchalantly. "It was weird…it was like watching myself die." She trailed off not saying anymore.

"Thank you." Damon repeated looking at her seriously.

"Don't mention it." She was uncomfortable so she quickly changed the topic. "You can't leave him like that forever. If you want him to get better you can't keep him locked up." She scolded.

Damon rolled his eyes. "I know." He went to the bar to pour himself a drink and saw an abandoned one there. He frowned but took it anyway. "I'm hoping that once her blood is out of his system, he'll understand what he did…" he guzzled the drink down. "It might make it easier to get to him if he flicks the switch." Damon stated talking about Stefan's humanity.

They were both silent for a while before Katherine spoke up. "Well, I'm gonna leave…you seem to have you're hands full here." She looked upstairs. "Remember what we talked about." She said before walking out the front door.

Damon sighed, closing his eyes before going back upstairs. He chuckled to himself. He had and Angel upstairs and a Devil in the basement.

When he opened the door to his room, he saw the Angel sleeping peacefully as if none of today had just happened. He smiled. She was so beautiful…so pure and amazing. How lucky of him to have her in his bed. Of course he wouldn't be in it with her…but still it was an appealing sight. He quietly pulled his comfy leather chair over to the bed, and got settled. He propped up his feet on the end of the bed, and watched her sleep, before falling asleep himself.

_She was running. She didn't know why, just that she couldn't stop. Branches tugged on her shirt and hair but she kept going. Roots from the tree trunks kept catching her feet, causing her to stumble. She was panting hard and had to force herself not to look back. The woods and trees seemed endless and there was no place for her to hide. She made the mistake of looking back and tripped falling to her knees. As she pulled herself back up, she noticed she was no longer wearing her usual attire. The skirts she was wearing were full and heavy and the corset made it hard to breathe, but she pushed herself to keep running. She held up the skirts to make for faster dashing but stopped when she saw the silhouette of a figure up ahead. Was this what she was running from? She turned around and there he was; she couldn't make out his face before he picked her up by the neck. He ignored her struggles and chuckled darkly, throwing her. She rolled a few times, her body hitting the ground hard like a bouncy ball. She was sure her bones were broken. She slowly lifted her head and opened her eyes, squinting at her surrounding. The Boarding House? She was in the parlor…how? She gingerly sat up and looked around. She saw Damon…laying to her right. His skin was ashen and a large piece of wood protruded from his chest. She tried to scream but nothing came out. She pulled herself over to him and jumped back when his head lolled towards her and his lifeless eyes looked back at her. "You killed me." He rasped but his lips weren't moving. It was like it echoed throughout the whole house. _

"_What?" she asked in shock. She pushed herself to her feet and looked around again. The walls were fading away and she could see the woods fall into place. It kept flashing back and forth between the two as if it couldn't make up its mind. She saw the figure that grabbed her in the woods run at her with a large sharpened stick, and moved out of the way. She turned around to see Damon's tortured face as he clutched his chest and fell to the floor. She watched the grey creep up his arms and neck. She looked on in horror as his lips moved, speaking the same words she heard only seconds earlier. "You killed me." The grey crawled up his face and into his hairline, freezing his face in an agonized expression. _

Elena's eyes popped open and she sighed in relief when she saw Damon asleep in the chair beside the bed. It was just a dream.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Klaus chuckled to himself, proud of the fear he surely put in her heart. He walked off the driveway in front of the Boarding House and made a leisurely walk back to the mansion. She was so easy to control, her fears were easy to manipulate and he was excited for the games to begin.

Author's Note: wow that took me all day! I know the dream sounds confusing but what dream isn't? lol anyways I hope you liked it and please review! If there is anything that's unclear let me know so I can explain it to you...unless it's all a part of my evil plan not to tell you and let you figure it out later!

Thanks guys enjoy!


	9. Captured

Author's Note: : ( so I've noticed I'm not getting many reviews for the story lately I really hope I still have my readers…remember reviews are inspiring and they'll help me update faster! Sorry for the late update I did make this chapter extra long for you though. So the next chapter is going to be the big showdown! Send me a review with what you think is going to happen…I'm curious!

Sidebar: if any of you were wondering the sex scene with Rose and Damon has NOT occurred. I don't know if I was clear about that in the first chapter! But now you know!

Vanessa

Chapter 9: Captured

Klaus waltzed into the mansion with a smirk. He was happy with himself. He considered taking her while she slept but playing with her a little more sounded fun. He entered the living room to find Quinn and Marques talking quietly.

"Klaus wants to break the curse within a few days and we aren't even fully prepared….we don't even know if there are werewolves in this blasted town." Quinn stated with a little frustration.

"The Lockwood's." Klaus claimed as he gracefully sat down in a leather chair. He was angered that they would talk behind his back like that. They immediately shut up. "The Lockwood's have the werewolf gene, all we have to do is set off the trigger."

"Klaus…we didn't hear you come in." Marques commented nervously.

"Of course you didn't…the both of you know better than to doubt me." He growled. "Finding the sacrifice is the least of our worries…it's the moonstone that I want!"

Marques stood and poured Klaus a drink and brought it to him. "Katerina has the moonstone, sir…all we need to is find her." His voice trembled in the presence of his elder. He was surprised Klaus didn't kill him after his past with Katerina.

Klaus' brow furrowed. "And Katerina is sneaky. She won't be found unless she wants to…years of experience in searching for her has told me that." He sipped his bourbon.

Quinn smiled. "You don't need to worry Klaus, Katerina will show herself soon." He said casually, not realizing how he insulted him.

Klaus jumped up and in less than a second had Quinn pinned to the wall by his throat, his feet dangling in the air. "How many times have I told you _not _to read my mind, Quinn?" he bellowed, his forehead growing ridges and fangs dangerously long.

"M-many times, sir…I'm sorry I insulted you." He sputtered out, knowing that all Klaus had to do was squeeze a little harder and head would be severed from his neck. Klaus dropped him abruptly and unceremoniously walked back to grab his drink.

"Katerina isn't my main concern right now." He claimed, sipping slowly as his face fell back into beautiful mask.

Marques' head looked to him sharply. "She isn't?" he tired to keep the bite off his tone.

Klaus locked his hypnotizing green eyes on him. "Marques…" he drawled like talking to a child. "I know she used you and you're angry, but bitterness doesn't look good on you." He teased with a smirk. Klaus continued. "Elena….she's my main concern. She's aware of vampires, she spends most of her time with one…she knows how to elude the curse." He acknowledged thoughtfully.

Quinn looked at his elder in shock. "Do you think she'll turn?"

Klaus pursed his full lips and frowned. "She might…she's a Petrova that means she's unpredictable."

"What! So then we have to wait for _another_ Goddamn doppelganger?" Quinn exclaimed, outraged. "Wait another five hundred years?" he ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

"Calm down, Quinn." Klaus demanded calmly as he thought of his next course of action. "No…she won't turn." He stated resolutely.

"How do you know that, Klaus…you said so you're self; she's unpredictable." Marques questioned politely.

Klaus smirked evilly. "She won't turn…because I'll make it her worst nightmare." He chuckled darkly, leaving the room without another word.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

When Damon woke up the next morning, he made sure Elena was still sleeping before deciding to check on Stefan. The house was silent as he walked down the stairs, and briskly moved into the kitchen. He fixed a mug of animal blood and popped it in the microwave, waiting impatiently for it to beep.

When it did, he brought it downstairs to the basement and he popped his head in the door. "Hey Stef." He sang out his greeting. "I brought you some blood…I _even_ heated it up for you." Damon sauntered in and stood in front of his brother still chained to the chair. Stefan had his head hanging and he looked slack in the chair and didn't respond. "Stefan? Blood? Helloo…" Damon said waving the mug under his nose. He rolled his eyes upwards and gave Stefan a lopsided smirk. "I get it…it's not what you _want_. Animal blood's just not doin it for ya…but sorry bro, that's all you are getting."

Stefan slowly raised his head to glare at Damon. "I don't want that."

"I know-" Damon started but was cut off.

"Leave me alone, Damon…" Stefan rasped out. "Just leave me here." He whispered out, dropping his head again.

Damon looked baffled and crouched down to his level. "What?" he lifted Stefan's head and looked at the eyes he was familiar with. "Stefan…I'm not going to leave you here." He declared firmly.

Stefan swallowed hard, and locked his grief-filled eyes on Damon's. "You should. After what I did…" he shook his head in disbelief of himself.

"I'll admit I wanted to kill you when I saw what you did to her." Damon confessed honestly. "But that wasn't you in there."

"I almost _killed_ her Damon!" Stefan shouted angry at himself and at Damon for not hating him for it. "I _wanted_ to kill her; I _wanted_ to drain _all_ the blood out of her body, Damon! What the hell does that make me when I want to kill _Elena_?" he demanded, his voice losing its anger as he said her name. Stefan could feel the tears prick at his eyes.

Damon was speechless. He didn't know what to say to make his brother feel better, and part of him didn't want to. He hurt Elena; he deserved to feel the pain from it. "I don't know." He said his tone void of any emotion. Damon put the mug on the floor and stood up. "Why don't you do some _soul-searching _and find out." He started heading to the door when Stefan's voice stopped him.

"Wait…I'm hungry." He told him quietly.

Damon spun around with an eye-roll. "Oh now you want it!" Damon crouched down and started undoing the shackles and ropes. He squinted at his brother. "I probably shouldn't be doing this, but I know you're too weak to try anything right now." He pointed at him. "And if you do, you know I'll be there to stop you." He smiled and continued to unlock the chains.

When Stefan was free he immediately grabbed the mug and gulped it down. "Thank you…" he mumbled sincerely.

Damon waved it off, and stood moving to the door again. "Are you gonna come up?" He offered uncomfortably. It was weird being nice to him. It was easier to be an asshole, but when Stefan was like this he couldn't. This wasn't Stefan brooding; this was him going through some serious self loathing, something Damon hadn't witnessed in a very very long time.

Stefan shook his head. "I don't think I'm ready to yet. I'll just…stay down here." He didn't even move from his chair.

Damon shrugged. "Okay…" he headed back upstairs to the parlor room and lay on the couch. He thought about his little spat with Katherine on the porch yesterday and wondered if this was going to work. How could he trust her? He couldn't even trust his brother right now. He wiped a large hand over his face and sighed. Katherine was right; they could either prevail without a hitch…or die in a bloodbath. There was no in between here. They had to be precise or they would fail.

His head shot to the stairs when he heard her. She kept her eyes trained on him as she continued down the stairs and he made room for her to sit beside him. "You weren't there when I woke up." She commented in a way that asked why.

His brow crinkled a little. "I didn't think you knew I was in there…" It made him uncomfortable that she knew and was okay with him being so close. It was hard enough as it was to stay away but the way she insisted to have him around all the time was making it hard not to give in to temptation. Now wasn't the time to complicate things further, but he wanted her so bad that it was hard to act like everything was normal between them.

She looked away and tucked her feet under her. "I had a dream….it woke me up in the middle of the night."

Damon smirked. "Awww…was it a bad dream?" he teased, poking her thigh.

Elena looked back at him. "Yes." She held his gaze before looking away again.

That look made Damon sit up, his face a picture of concern. "What happened?"

Elena shook her head, and faked a laugh. "It was nothing, Damon…it was just a stupid dream." She tried to get up but Damon's hand on her arm held her still.

"Maybe…but that look you just gave me told me it really scared you. What happened?" he asked with genuine concern.

Elena tried to explain her dream to him as best she could knowing that it was confusing. She watched as Damon face showed curiosity, perplexity, and contemplation of what she was saying. "It was so weird, Damon…it was like both places in my dream merged together." Her voice choked out. "It was like I saw the outcome before it happened. Seeing you like that…I got so scared. It felt so real." She brushed away a tear that fell and let Damon pull her into his arms.

"It's okay Elena…I'm fine and you're fine. It was just a bad dream." He trying to soothe her but he knew it was more than that. Katherine's words shouted out at him. _He can get into your _dreams_, Elena_.

"I know…" she mumbled into his chest. "It's just…" Part of her told her she shouldn't continue but she needed him to know just how important he was in her life right now. "I felt like I lost you." She claimed simply before looking up at him.

Damon ran his fingers through her hair affectionately. "You won't lose me…I promise. I'm gonna keep you save, Elena…whatever it takes." He vowed smiling slightly.

Elena stared at him with sad eyes. "That's what scares me." She laid her head back on his shoulder and stared listlessly at the fire. He was her only constant through all of this and the last thing she wanted was him risking his life and losing it to save her.

Damon sat there in wonder. When did this happen? Elena was curled into him, her scent floating around his nose and her words embedded themselves deep in his heart. She worried for him…his life meant something to her, and that meant something to him. So she didn't love him…but she cared for him, and that was enough for right now.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Later that morning, Damon drove Elena to home shower and change. He was glad that Jenna was staying with Alaric because he didn't have to hide from her anymore. Jenna clearly still didn't like him and he didn't want to push his luck. He thought about compelling her to like him, but knew that would piss Elena off.

Damon followed Elena up to her room and sat on the edge of her bed, watching as she pulled her sweater off, and moved around grabbing clothes to change into after her shower. He smiled to himself when he saw the tight navy blue tank top she had on, and then furrowed his brow at the thing on her wrist. He tilted his head as he contemplated if he'd seen it before. "New bracelet?"

Elena quickly turned around at his question, hurriedly hiding her shock of the question. _He was just noticing it now?_ She thought to herself. "Yeah…" she played with it absentmindedly. "Added protection. When Elijah ripped off my necklace I realized I needed something a little less inconspicuous." She fumbled for a lie, hoping he wouldn't pick up on it. She wasn't ready for this conversation.

Damon frowned and stood up to stand in front of her. "So…you've had it since that night?" he wanted to clear up. His voice was slightly suspicious and the way Elena was acting was weird.

"Yup. Well, after." She uttered backpedaling quickly. She wanted him to think that she put it on after he left, or the next morning.

"Huh…" he mused. "So just out of curiosity, what do you remember from that night?" he kept his eyes trained on her for any sign that she was lying.

Elena took a deep breath and made a show of thinking. She couldn't mess up now, time to pull out another Oscar performance. "Well coming home, talking to Bonnie-"

Damon cut her off with the wave of his hand. "After that."

Elena looked him dead in the eyes. _Please believe me…_ "You giving me my necklace." She was trying to make it sound like it was obvious…that that's all she'd remember because that's all that happened.

"And?" Damon pushed.

"And that's it…" she looked at him suspiciously and turned the tables. "Is there something I _should_ be remembering?" _Nice touch Elena…make him uncomfortable so he backs off. Genius!_

Damon's eyes widened slightly before he put on a mask of indifference and shook his head. "Nope, just making sure Elijah didn't…tamper with your brain." He stated fishing for an excuse for his questions. "You know, making sure he didn't make you believe something happened when it didn't." he rambled, and then rolled his eyes at himself. He pointed to the bathroom. "Go…take your shower. I'll wait in here." She shrugged and left the bedroom Damon closed his eyes together tightly cursing at himself for pushing so hard with those questions. Clearly she had no clue what he told her that night, and he was just being paranoid. He threw himself on her bed and waited for her to come out.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena closed the bathroom door behind her and sighed. _That was way too close._ She tried not the laugh at the silly excuse he came up with because she knew he could hear her. She quickly got undressed and got under the hot water letting it rain down on her. Elena briefly considered just telling him that she knew…but she didn't want him to act all weird around her or try and compel it away again. They had way too much going on right now for them to deal with both his love for her and her feelings, what ever they were, for him. They had to concentrate on Klaus and the Originals…which she had no clue how to deal with. She thought of the only out she had…the choice Katherine made; did she really want to be on the run for the rest of her life…however long that may be? No…there had to be another way.

When Elena was done in the bathroom she waltzed out in her changed clothes and sat next to Damon on the bed. "What are we going to do about Klaus?" she asked casually as she picked up the brush from her night stand and combed her hair out.

Damon tried not to inhale the scent of her hair. _God she smells good._ "I have a plan…with Katherine's help it will work."

Elena frowned at him. "Well what if she doesn't help…what if she changes her mind?" It seemed odd to her that they could trust Katherine to help, but right now they didn't have many options.

Damon turned his head to her. "She can't…if she doesn't help us get rid of Klaus, he'll kill her. It's a two way street. Plus you heard her she said she would help." Damon stated simply as if she was as easy to trust as your priest….the ones that didn't touch little boys.

Elena gave him an incredulous look. "Yeah…not very convincingly. What's this plan anyway, you keep referring to this _plan_ but I've yet to find out what it entails." She stood and went to her vanity to grab a hair-elastic and put her hair up in a ponytail.

"I can't tell you." His voice was even and quiet.

She whipped around to glare at him. "Seriously? Are you kidding me Damon? This is supposed to be a plan to save me from a brutal death and yet _I_ can't know about it!" she stomped over the bed jumped on it. "Why can't you tell me?"

Damon took in her angry rant, and replied in a calm tone. "If I tell you, it won't work."

Elena sighed in defeat. "This sucks…I hate being kept out of the loop."

Damon chuckled. "I know…but trust me its better this way. I wouldn't put you're life in danger for any reason." He grabbed her hand and rubbed the pad of his thumb over the back of her hand.

She smiled. "I know…so what do we do now?"

Damon grinned. "You…are going to school." He hopped of the bed and picked up her backpack swinging it.

Elena looked at him like he was crazy. "Really? You want me to go to school…why?" she also got off the bed and grabbed the bag from him.

Damon rolled his eyes as if it was obvious. "Uh, because it's Tuesday…and you already missed one day of school. You have to keep up appearances Elena…don't want anyone to worry, am I right?" he asked in that cocky tone that used to infuriate her. Now it just made her smile.

"I guess you're right." They walked out of the bedroom and back down the stairs. "But what if Klaus comes to the school…what if he tries to grab me there?" Elena tried to keep the wobble of fear out of her voice.

"I'll be there…all day, I promise. If something's wrong I'll come get you." He vowed, following her as she walked into the kitchen.

"I thought I heard voices." Jenna stated from her spot and the kitchen table. She didn't look happy.

"Aunt Jenna….I thought you were at Ric's." he uttered nervously.

Jenna nodded and stood to stand in front of Elena and Damon. "I was…Damon." He greeted in a biting tone.

He smiled charmingly. "Hello Jenna."

Jenna rolled her eyes and turned them on Elena. "What is he doing here, Elena?" she crossed her arms over her chest and waited for an explanation.

"I'm giving her a ride to school. Her car's doing this sputtering thing…so I offered to give her a lift. I hope that's okay." He smiled, but couldn't keep the slight sarcasm out of his voice.

"Uh huh…" Jenna drawled glaring him down. "You move quick don't you?" she asked harshly.

Elena looked at her in disbelief and Damon frowned in feign innocence. "Excuse me?" he asked.

Jenna huffed and cocked her hip. "Elena and Stefan broke up less than a week ago and look at you…" she waved a hand at him. "Already moving in."

Elena's jaw tightened and she saw the fury behind Damon's eyes. "Aunt Jenna…it's not like that. Damon is being a good friend, in my time of need; I want him here." She declared strongly. "Now I have to go or I'll be late…let's go Damon." She grabbed Damon's arm and they fled to the car, with Damon holding Jenna's glare until he couldn't see her anymore.

"I'm so sorry Damon…I don't know why she doesn't like you. You haven't been anything but nice to me." Elena apologized as she got into Damon's car.

"Jenna isn't fully informed…she only knows the bad things I've done." Damon got in the car to and they peeled out of the driveway. "Like that kiss on the front porch…she didn't like that." He teased giving her a lopsided smile.

Elena laughed. "But that wasn't even me!"

Damon glanced at her briefly before looking back at the road. "You wanna tell her that? Clear my name?" he suggested jokingly.

"Yeah that would go over well…'Aunt Jenna, please don't be mad at Damon. It wasn't me he was kissing on the porch that day it was my 520 year old vampire doppelganger. Oh and by the way we're out of milk'." They laughed and in no time they were at the school.

Damon came around and opened the door for her before walking her into school. "So you're gonna stay?" she asked as she unlocked her locker.

Damon nodded, and leaned on the locker beside hers. "All day. I'll do a walk around the school, make sure no one's lurking about." He glanced around as he said this.

Elena nodded and sighed in relief. "Thank you Damon…everything you're doing really means a lot to me." She hugged him tightly, and he looked down in shock before returning the hug.

"Don't mention it…kickin' it with you has been fun." He teased. He pulled away and his eyes widened in excitement. "We should get drunk tonight!"

Elena shook her head. "No…I think not. That could be dangerous." She said in a mock serious voice.

"Why…afraid that the temptation to be with me would be too much?" he asked in a cocky way, running his hand down his chest.

She laughed. "More like, I'm afraid we'll both be too drunk to defend ourselves if someone decides to visit." She closed her locker and the two of them started walking to her first class.

"Well it takes me _a lot_ to get drunk so you wouldn't have to worry." When she didn't say anything he continued. "Come _on_…you know you wanna let loose and have some fun, you could use it." They stopped at the classroom door.

"Okay, I'll think about it…no promises." She affirmed, pointing her finger at him.

"Okay…" he said dramatically, rolling his eyes. "Text me if you get bored." Damon turned and strutted down the hall catching the eyes of a bunch of girls.

Elena went into her class and sat down in the back, listening as her teacher rambled on in a monotone voice. She hated this class…it always made her want to sleep. She pulled out her phone and subtly texted under her desk.

**I'm bored…**

It didn't take long for her to get a text back. **Already? I left you not even half an hour ago.**

Elena giggled quietly. **Mr. Water's is boring…and has no personality lol**

**I could compel him to be cooler...**

**No…people would get suspicious, thanks though**

The rest of the day went on slowly and like he promised Damon was there the whole day. He had taken her out for lunch and brought her back just in time for her class. Now he waited for her, leaning against the hood of his car with his arms crossed. 

She walked up to him and smiled before both of them got in the car. Once she was buckled in she turned to him. "Can you drop me off at home? Bonnie and Caroline were gonna come over for a bit, catch up…I should fill them in on what's going on." Elena saw the slightly disappointment on his face before he covered it up.

"Yeah sure…you might want to leave out the part about Katherine helping us; I don't think Bonnie would like that." Damon mentioned glancing at Elena.

Elena quirked her eyebrow. "So what should I tell them? It's not like you're telling me what the plan is." She said a little sullenly.

Damon gave her a smile. "Don't tell them anything, Elena. Have fun with you're friends…I'll take care of the hard part." He promised as he pulled into her driveway. "Jenna's still here. I think it's best if I make myself scarce." Elena just stared at him for a second before giving him a hug.

"I'll call you later…we can go for a couple of drinks." She told him watching as his eyes lit up like a child. "Only a couple though…"

Damon nodded. "Only a couple…got it." Although he was thinking that it would definitely be more than that. "I'll be at the Boarding House, call me if you need me."

Elena nodded and hopped out of the car and jogged her way up the porch. She looked back once at Damon before closing the door behind her. She was so impressed by the change in him. It was like he was a different person…and then again so was she. The past week or so had so much going on, so much craziness but yet she still found the moments to laugh and go to school and hang out with her friends; all because of Damon. He took care of the hard parts and let her enjoy her life, whereas when she was with Stefan it was like everyday was a struggle. She barely smiled let alone laughed, and the only time she saw her friends was when they were in trouble.

She was planning on making her afternoon with Caroline and Bonnie about the next steps in defeating Klaus, but was happy that she didn't have to. She missed them. She bypassed Jenna with just a short hello and ran upstairs to call her friends.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Damon sauntered into the Boarding House but stopped when he saw Stefan standing by the fireplace. "Hey you came out of your cave." He exclaimed with a grin. A puzzled look came over his face when his saw the suitcases on the floor beside him. "What's with the bags?"

Stefan turned around and stuffed his hands in his sweater pockets. "I'm leaving. I shouldn't be around her…its too dangerous." Stefan stated in a serious tone.

Damon blinked a couple of times bringing his eyes back on his brother. "You're dangerous? Do you know what we're up against? We have way bigger problems than you right now." He told him indignantly. Just like his brother to make it all about him.

Stefan nodded. "Exactly why I should get out of your way. I'm no good to you right now." He picked up his bags and headed for the door, and stopped when he heard Damon speak again.

"What are you gonna tell Elena?" he crossed his arms over his chest. "You know she'll be choked if you leave without telling her." Damon took a couple steps towards Stefan.

"I left her a letter." He almost forgot. He pulled it out of his back pocket and played with the edges of the envelope in his hands.

Damon rolled his eyes. "How very _romantic_ of you."

Stefan ignored his brother's words and continued. "Can you give it to her please?" he handed him the envelope but Damon didn't reach for it.

Damon upper lip curled a little in distain. "So she can freak out at me for not stopping you? No thanks…I can't believe you're gonna leave her." He said seriously. Damon never thought Stefan would leave Elena for any reason. Stefan was so in love with her that Damon thought it would take an apocalypse to keep him from her.

Stefan sighed sadly. "She'll get over me, Damon. It's not like I made it hard for her." Stefan dropped his eyes to the letter in his hands and tried to keep the tears back.

Being Damon, he found the emotions his brother was showing uncomfortable, and tried to lighten the mood. "Is this the part where we hug and promise to keep in touch?" he gave Stefan a mocked look of appall.

The younger vampire laughed lightly. "I would be…but I think a strong handshake will suffice." Stefan put out his hand and Damon took it firmly shaking it once before shaking his head and pulling him into a brotherly hug. "Take care of her Damon."

"I will." He said with promise before pulling away. "Don't tell anyone but I might miss you a little bit." He showed him how much with his finger in his thumb about an inch apart.

Stefan smiled. "I'll miss you too…good lick with everything." Stefan pick up his bags again, after shoving the letter back in his pocket.

Damon shrugged. "Yeah I might not be here when you get back." he tried to joke.

Stefan nodded. "Yes you will." With that said, Stefan walked out of the Boarding House and out to his car to start a journey with no particular direction.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Damon closed the door behind him and moved back into the parlor room to find a woman sitting on the couch with her back to him. He walked over and stood in front of her.

"Back in town I see. Thought you wanted to save your hide." He gave her a cocky smile.

Rose stood and smiled tightly. "Klaus is in town."

Damon's eyes looked away briefly before landing on her again. "I know…he's sending Elena messages…through her dreams."

"I thought you could use my help." She replied shortly.

Damon nodded. "The more the merrier…" he moved to the bar and poured himself a drink.

Rose watched him and took the drink he offered her. "So Stefan's leaving town? I thought he'd want to be here for this." She sipped her drink while waiting for Damon to reply.

Damon shook his head. "You missed _a lot_ in your absence. To sum it up: Elena broke up with him, he completely _lost _it and got back on human blood, attacked Elena and now he's brooding…as usual." He stated casually.

Rose took it all in then sat back down on the couch. "Klaus is staying at the mansion, and so are the rest of them. It shouldn't be too much longer be makes his move…he can be impatient."

Damon sat on the table across from her and clasped his hands together. "I have a plan…wanna hear it?" he asked with devilish grin.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena moved around her kitchen putting away all the munchies that she and the girls were eating earlier. It was eight now, they spent the whole day laughing and enjoying themselves not thinking about the danger ahead of them…it was nice.

Jenna had left to go back to Alaric's earlier and Jeremy was at the Mystic Grill with some friends. She was all alone and she contemplated calling Damon, but she was enjoying the silence. Elena trudged up to her room and frowned at the letter on her pillow.

She stepped closer, picking it up and reading the delicate cursive of her name. Stefan's writing. She flipped it over and pulled out the paper and started reading.

_Elena,_

_I'm so sorry for hurting you the way I did. I made a promise to myself long ago that I would never hurt you, and I broke it. I'm not stable right now, and I shouldn't be around you…its too dangerous. I wish that things could be different: That Katherine never came back and put you in this situation, but unfortunately we can't change what's already happened. I love you…I love you so much that it pains me. _

_I'm leaving town. It's best for you if I'm not here making things more complicated. You were right, I need to give you space and you need to be happy for once. I'm sorry that I couldn't be what you needed, and hopefully you will find someone that can give you everything you deserve. _

_I don't know where I'm going, or when I'm coming back, but I promise you that everything will be better when I'm gone. Stay close to Damon…he'll protect you, so much better than I can. I'm so sorry Elena, and I hope that one day you can forgive me._

_With all my Love_

_Stefan._

Elena read the letter three times before she registered that he was gone; probably long gone by now. She cried silently sitting on her bed thinking about him. How could he leave without saying goodbye? Did he really think a letter would make it easier for her…or was it supposed to be easier for him?

She didn't know how long she sat there before Damon appeared at her door. "Stefan's gone." She mumbled holding up the letter.

Damon sighed, and walked towards her. "I know."

She let her eyes follow him as he crouched down beside the bed. "Did he say goodbye to you? Or did you just get a letter like I did?" she asked with scorn.

"I caught him as he was leaving." He uttered quietly.

Elena shook her head. "He couldn't be around me…it was too _dangerous_ he said. Hello, my whole life is dangerous!" she cried out opening her arms.

"Maybe this is what's best for all of us." Damon got up on the bed beside her and pulled her into his arms.

"I agree…I just wish he said goodbye." They sat in silence for a while not knowing what to say, and then Elena spoke softly. "Can I take a rain check on the drink?" she asked looking up at him.

Damon laughed. "Yeah…yeah we can do that." He watched as she her breathing labored and she drifted into slumber. He watched her sleep before falling asleep himself, with her warm body covering his.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Elena was lying in bed waiting for sleep to come but she was wide awake. Every time she closed her eyes they would pop back open. In frustration she threw off the covers and noticed just how quiet it was. Why was it so quiet? _

_She ambled down the hall to check on Jeremy, but his room was empty and dark. No bed. No dressers. No posters or clothes all over the floor. What? She moved into Jenna's room and it was also empty of any furniture. What the hell was going on? Something wasn't right. She closed her eyes to think, and got flashes of Stefan's face before he bit her. The pain she felt when he viciously ripped into her throat. She remembered how her pulse slowed and everything went black. She felt death, before life dripped back into her mouth from Katherine's wrist._

_She opened them quickly and shook off the creepy feeling. She went back into her room and frowned. Where was Damon? Didn't he fall asleep here last night? She rushed across the room and opened to drapes to see if his car was here. She screamed as the light touched her skin and burnt her, making her cower into a sunless corner. It was then that she felt something sticky on her neck. She brought her hand up and it came back with blood. She was bleeding…from the holes in her neck that Stefan created. She thought those had healed. _

_Everything hurt. Her eyes, her skin, her neck. What the fuck was going on? She stood slowly and crept around the ray of light in her room, before running downstairs into the living room. Something was different, it was cold in here…it wasn't homey like it usually was. _

_Something smelt good…she didn't know what it was but she followed it to the kitchen. She stood in front of the fridge. It was coming from in there. She opened the fridge and gasped. The fridge was fully stocked with blood bags, and her mouth watered as she reached for one. Why does this smell so good to me? Her hands trembled as she brought it too her lips, and the skin around her eyes tightened and her through her gums pushed a pair of fangs. _

_She panted before piercing the bag and greedily drinking the red substances. She was getting it all over her self but she didn't care…it tasted so good. She reached for bag after bag…consuming them all, moaning as the blood coated her throat._

_She heard a noise, and then footsteps; two sets. She sped to the door and saw a man; the man from her dream. He was holding Jeremy who was trying to struggle. "Elena, help me!" He shouted._

"_Are you still hungry?" The man asked holding Jeremy out to her. _

"_Yes." She growled. And before she knew it, she had her mouth clamped around Jeremy's neck, ignoring the cries as she drank deeply form him._

"_That's my girl." The man chuckled._

Elena's eyes popped open to see said man hovering over her. She tried to scream but he shook his head and it was like she was incapable of moving.

"Hello Elena…I don't think we've officially met." He smiled. "I'm Klaus." She let out a shuddering breath, and glanced at Damon who was sprawled out on the bed beside her. "Oh don't worry about him…he'll wake up in a few hours, just enough time for us to get to know each other." He picked her up and sped out the window, leaving Damon unconscious.

Author's note: Holy Hell…was that a loooong chapter or what! I didn't want to break it up because it all needed to happen together but this is to make up for the lack of update the past couple of days. My hands are sore now lol. Well hope you like it and please review…remember I'm curious to know what YOU think will happen for the showdown!

Vanessa


	10. You're Just Like Her

Chapter 10: You're Just Like Her

Elena's eyes fluttered open, and she narrowed them against the harsh light. The first thing she set her eyes on was Klaus crunched down looking straight into her eyes and she gasped. "Hello dear…I didn't scare you did I?" he reached out to touch her but she pulled back, pushing herself up farther against the wall.

Elena let out a trembling breath. "Please let me go." She looked around at the vampires surrounding her. She remembered Brea and Elijah…but the others she'd never seen before. She couldn't shake how frightened she was, but she knew she had to stay strong. Elena noted that Klaus was confident enough to not bother tying her up, and was grateful.

Klaus gave her a half smile, and shook his head. "No, unfortunately I cannot do that." She noticed how enthralling his voice was, it was like he could pacify her with just his words. The deep timbre he spoke with would make anyone melt to his wishes.

Elena held up her head and forced herself not to be affected. "Damon will find me."

Klaus tilted his head to the side. "And when he does I'll kill him…then you." He spoke casually as if it was the simplest task…and to him Elena was sure that it was.

Elena shook her head and couldn't stop the tears that built up. "Please don't! Killing us isn't going to bring Tatiana back!" the words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.

Klaus looked at her with hard and cold eyes. "How do you know about her?" He questioned so quietly that if he wasn't so close she wouldn't have heard him.

She showed more confidence than she had, narrowing her eyes and returning his cold glare. "I'm a Petrova…" she pronounced strongly. "I know my family history."

Klaus laughed, and stood looking down on her. "You remind me of Katerina."

That statement made her blood boil. "I'm _nothing_ like Katherine!" she shouted, trying to convince herself the same thing.

Klaus clasped his hands behind his back, unintentionally showing Elena his old etiquette. "Is that what she's calling herself these days?" He crouched down to her level again. "You don't want to die, I understand that. You have your whole life ahead of you…so I'm going to give you an out." He bit into his wrist and held it out to her.

Elena looked at him then at the blood dripping from his wrist, which was already starting to heal. She got flashbacks from the dream she woke up from less than an hour ago and shook her head. "No…I-I can't." she uttered, her eyes wide with fear of would could happen if she did.

Klaus pulled his arm back and laughed boisterously. "Of course you can't. Especially after killing Jeremy like you did." He taunted with a glint in his eyes.

"What?" Elena couldn't believe his words. _How did he know?_

"Don't worry Elena." He chided with a wave of his hand. "It was just a dream, mind you a very accurate one…but a dream nonetheless." He stood again and paced slowly in front of her.

Elena pushed herself up a little, her body still weak. "How did you know that?" her voice was hoarse with emotion.

Klaus turned to her again with a sly smile. "I was there. Don't you remember? I'm a little hurt." He said mockingly miffed at the idea.

She shook her head. "It wasn't real." She pushed herself to stand, using the wall for support.

"But it could be…" he trailed off raising one perfect eyebrow.

"I would never kill my brother." She confirmed strongly, glaring at him with hate in her eyes.

Klaus cocked his head to the side. "Well he isn't really your brother now is he?"

Elena's heart plummeted. He knew too much about her. He'd been studying her and she didn't even know it. It scared her how much his words could affect her, and how they were spoken so casually and with no emotion.

"Brea, Elijah…" he called out still staring at Elena. "Go get Damon Salvatore. I'd like to talk to the boy." He watched in delight as Elena shook her head and trembled, panting as panic took over her. Brea and Elijah sped past them and out of the mansion to the Boarding House.

"No! If you want me, have me but please leave him alone!" She tried to bargain. Damon had done so much for her, it was the least she could do to try and save his life. She had to be brave, because if she was weak Klaus would prey on that. She needed to show him she was a true Petrova.

"You see Elena…" he started as if he was talking to a child. "Damon knows where _Katherine_ is, and I need to get the moonstone from Katherine." He reached out and stoked her cheek feigning compassion. "Don't worry…I won't let you watch him die." He spoke in a quiet and soft tone as if to soothe her. "I'll kill you first."

Elena let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She steeled her eyes and looked up at him defiantly. "Why don't you just kill me now then?"

He sighed in annoyance. "Because if I kill you now…then I can't kill you later when I need to break the curse." This girl had more fire than he expected. It intrigued him, but her defiance was becoming tiring. But it was too much fun; this bantering, the trading of blows was too exciting to him to compel her into compliance.

Elena channeled the bitch in her and smirked. "So if I killed myself now that would _really_ foil your plans, wouldn't it?" she tilted her head to the side, blocking out the fear she felt in her heart.

Klaus turned his head to the door five seconds before Elena heard it open. "ELENA!" Damon called out, as he was struggling in Brea and Elijah's grasp. He had one on either side, holding his arms tightly.

"Damon!" Elena rushed over to him and was surprised that Klaus didn't stop her. He knew there was nothing that they could do. She looked him over, making sure he was okay before locked her eyes on his. Tears formed at the concern writing all over his face.

"Thank God you're okay…" he tried to reach for her, but the two vampires at his side held him firmly back.

"Not for long." Brea sang out with a sickly-sweet smile.

Elena and Damon ignored the comment and focused on each other. Damon looked at her intensely. "I'm gonna get us out of this." He vowed firmly.

Elijah pulled Damon away and threw him against the wall on the other side of the room. "You shouldn't make promises you can not keep, Salvatore."

Elena looked on in horror as Damon moaned and struggled to stand back up. She noticed how his eyes were unfocused and he looked weaker than usual. She whipped around to glare at Klaus. "What did you do to him?"

Klaus smiled. "He came at me with a vervain dart…and I used it on him. It was self defense." He shrugged. "Marques…tie him up; he can be our vampire sacrifice." Marq quickly went about gathering Damon off the floor and tying him up in chains, ignoring his weak attempts to fight him off. "Quinn…go find Katherine. Its time." Quinn disappeared quickly. He chuckled as Elena fixed him with her wide scared eyes.

She turned to Damon who was looking at her with sad eyes…knowing he failed her. She kept her eyes on Klaus as she walked cautiously over to Damon. Brea moved to grab her but he waved her off. "Damon…" she whimpered.

"I'm so sorry Elena…this isn't how-it wasn't supposed to happen like this." She saw the pain, both physical and emotional in his eyes and she knelt down beside him.

"Don't be sorry, Damon…we knew that there was a big chance we wouldn't make it. I just wanted to thank you for everything…" she paused looking at the floor before letting out a breath. "And I should probably tell you that I know-"

"That's enough of this." Klaus interjected. He grabbed Elena by the arm and dragged her away, ignoring Damon's protests to leave her alone. He pulled Elena to stand in front of him and looked deep in her eyes, his pupils dilating. "You will shut up, and stay down." When Elena didn't comply he frowned.

"She's wearing the necklace, Klaus…" Elijah stated. "It's filled with vervain." Elijah came to stand beside his elder.

Klaus smirked. "Hm, smart girl…not smart enough though." He ripped the necklace from her throat scratching her chest in the process. Elena gasped and Damon growled loudly in anger from the corner. "I don't want to hear another defiant word from you again, do you understand?" he demanded firmly.

Elena nodded. She looked at him blankly and answered. "I understand." She had to play along, Klaus didn't know about the bracelet and she wanted to keep it that way.

"Good. Now sit." Elena sat immediately on the floor wrapping her arms around her knees, ignoring Damon's questionable eyes. He knew she was faking it, but she didn't want him to give her away. She glanced at him briefly before dropping her eyes again.

Ramsey came into the room smirking at the scene in front of him. "Did I miss the party, Klaus?"

Klaus laughed and clasped a hand on his back. "No, it's just starting. Have you found the Lockwood boy yet?" he questioned.

Ramsey frowned and shook his head. "No, unfortunately not. He is in Mystic Falls but his whereabouts I've yet to pinpoint. There seems to be something throwing me off his scent." Ramsey seemed disturbed by this. He prided himself on his incredible tracking abilities.

Klaus seemed to favor Ramsey. "Not to worry…we will find him as soon as we get the moonstone. The full moon is upon us tonight and the boy will be drawn to it." Klaus said offhandedly as he slipped on a pair of heavy duty gloves that lay on the coffee table. He moved to a pot on the window sill plucking the vervain, and sauntered towards Damon. Klaus crouched in front of him. "Where's Katherine?"

Damon glared at him. "I don't know…you try the yellow pages?" he asked cockily even though his voice was weak.

Klaus ran the vervain down his cheek, relishing in his screams and struggles. Elena turned her head away closed her eyes. "Where's Katherine?"

"Georgia…" he mumbled, watching the confusion wash over Klaus' face before continuing. "New York, St. Petersburg, Berlin…maybe North Korea, I always pegged her for a communist." Damon mocked with a serious face. Klaus back handed him across the face, making his head snap to the side forcefully. Damon shook it off, moaning as he slowly brought his head back to look at Klaus. "Ow."

"I don't have time for games, boy…tell me where she is." The elder vampire demanded lightly brushing the vervain on Damon's face and arms.

"Arrghhh! I don't know! I don't know where she is!" he hollered in pain.

Elena sat up. "He doesn't know, stop hurting him!" she shut up, forgetting that she wasn't supposed to talk back to him.

Klaus turned slowly to her and walked back to stand in front of her. "You've got a fight in you…so much like Katherine." He repeated to piss her off.

Damon coughed up blood, spitting it on the ground in front of him. "You shouldn't have gone there, she _hates_ that." He uttered through the throbbing in his face.

Elena stood and leveled her gaze with him. "I told you I'm not like Katherine!"

Klaus nodded. "You're right. You seem to have a heart." He stated with disdain.

The tell tale sound of clicking heels resounded in the mansion. "My ears are ringing…someone _must_ be talking about me. Hello Klaus miss me?" she tilted her head to the side and gave him a small smile.

Klaus abandoned Elena to step closer to Katherine who was standing at the top of the stairs. "Not in the least. Where's Quinn?" he didn't really care but he was curious.

Katherine looked puzzled. "You sent Quinn after me…you couldn't even find me yourself?" she feigned disappointment.

Klaus gestured to the scene around him. "I was a little busy. Have you come to beg for mercy?" he asked with a chuckle.

Katherine smirked and slowly descended the stairs. "Not at all. I have a proposition." She placed her hands on her hips and stood in front of Klaus.

"Katherine, what are doing?" Damon questioned in panic from the other side of the room.

Katherine swung her eyes to him. "What I have to. So you have the doppelganger…that's a good start, but you're missing some key factors." She sung out raising her eyebrow.

Brea narrowed her eyes. "The Moonstone."

Katherine locked her eyes on her before turned back to Klaus. "That and more. I have both, the werewolf and the vampire sacrifice plus the witch to do the mojo. I'll help you lift the curse…all I ask for is my freedom." She stated simply.

Elena glared at her back. "You bitch…you're double-crossing us?" she asked in disbelief. She knew it…she knew Katherine wouldn't keep her word. She glanced at Damon to see him pinned his ex lover with a hateful glare.

Katherine spun around to face her double. "I told you, I only look out for myself, Elena. You should have done the same." She shrugged, looking at Damon when he started talking.

He struggled in the chains. "Katherine, you can't do this! You don't even know if you can trust them." he tried to get her to listen but she just rolled her eyes.

"Oh shut up, Damon. I had to chose a side…I choose the side that's gonna win." She gloated, faking a smile that looked too much like Elena's.

Klaus ghosted a hand over her hair. "Oh this is rich…I have to admit Katerina, I love the games you play." They shared a laugh together before Quinn sped into the room.

"God damn girl, you're fast." He strolled up to Klaus. "I was nearly in Mystic Falls when her scent faded. I realized she was already on her way, so I doubled back." Quinn focused on Damon, narrowing his gaze before shaking it off. His thoughts were blank, but he chalked it up to the vervain in his system making him hard to read. He brought his gaze back to the girl, and could read the fear all over her face, in her mind and in her heart. Klaus noticed his observation and Quinn nodded in a way of confirming that this wasn't a trap.

"So where are the sacrifices?" Ramsey asked folding his arms over his chest.

Katherine gave him an incredulous look. "You honestly think I would bring them with me? How stupid do you think I am? We do this on my terms." She declared firmly.

Brea was about to protest when Klaus put up a hand to shut her up. "Where?"

The red head gaped at him. "Are you serious?" Ramsey placed a hand on her shoulder to placate her.

Elijah waited anxiously for the moment the curse would be broken. He'd waited long enough and it was finally here. Marques tried hard to maintain his anger. He wanted to _kill _Katerina, not team up with her. And now with this deal Klaus had made with her, he couldn't even end her existence after the curse was broken. He considered doing it anyway.

"Fell's Church." Katherine affirmed, earning looks from everyone. The Originals knew she faked her death in that church. "I love the symbolic poetry of it all." Katherine hauled Elena up by the arm, gripping her tightly. "I'll take the look-a-like." Katherine took a moment to look her dead in the eye. She grabbed a fist full of her hair and yanked her head back.

Katherine bit down into her wrist and let a couple drops land on her twin's lips. Elena was shocked that a few drops landed in her mouth and tried pulling away. "I don't want to turn…stop!" she cried.

Katherine smirked. "It's cute that you think I care…I don't. You're my leverage; I need to make sure their end of the bargain is kept up." She turned to Klaus. "One wrong move and I snap her neck, and you're waiting five hundred years for another doppelganger…_again_." Katherine smiled cheekily, hugging Elena close like they were best friends.

Klaus glared at her. "Fine." He drawled. Katherine always had to have her way. His plan was to let her lead them to where she had the sacrifices, then kill her, but now Katherine had ruined those plans.

"Follow me." Katherine and the Originals sped out of there, leaving Damon chained on the floor shouting and howling behind them.

Katherine sped through the forest, both hers and Elena's hair trailing behind them like a dark curtain. The vampire could hear them running fast behind her, weaving through trees. Katherine saw the Church up ahead and ran straight into the tomb, bypassing Tyler, Bonnie and Caroline, who were all tied up, struggling to get loose.

She ran into the cave with Elena holding onto her as she screamed for her friends. "Katherine! Please let me go, you don't have to do this."

Katherine stared at the opening waiting for the Originals. "Shut up, Elena…it's almost over." In seconds, Klaus, Brea, Ramsey, Quinn, Elijah and Marques stood in front of them. Katherine sped out with Elena nodded to Bonnie who shook out of her bonds and started chanting.

Klaus ran to the entrance of the cave but bounced back from the barrier. "No!" The rest of them ran up and started banging on the invisible wall.

Elena looked at Katherine in surprise as she started speaking. "Sorry Klaus…but leaving you locked in here in here for all eternity sounded like a _much_ better plan." She taunted slyly.

Tyler and Caroline also shook out of the ropes, and stood next to Elena. "Are you okay?" Caroline asked. "Damon told us we couldn't tell you anything…I'm sorry." Elena nodded, knowing now that this was the plan all along.

"When I get out of here I will make your death a slow and painful one!" Klaus bellow viciously baring his long fangs and deep ridges in his forehead.

Elena stepped next the Katherine, and smiled. "You're not getting out of here. It's a magical barrier…looks like you should get used to these walls, Klaus…cause that's all you'll be seeing for the rest of you undead life." Elena and Katherine gave him twin smirks before Katherine closed the tomb with the giant slab of rock as they screamed and hollered to be let out.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Later that night Elena sat with Damon on the couch at the Boarding House, tending to his wounds when Bonnie slowly walked in.

"Hey, Elena…can I talk to Damon for second?" she asked hesitantly.

Elena looked at Damon, who nodded, wincing a little bit. When Elena left the wrong, Bonnie sat down in her spot, a little further from Damon though. She looked like she didn't know how to start. "Thank you. You risked you're life for her today…you thought of someone other than yourself for once." She commented evenly.

Damon looked at her intensely with a small smile. "You're _so_ good at blending a compliment with an insult." He joked.

Bonnie shrugged. "It's a gift. But honestly, I like who she is when she's around you…it's like having the old Elena back." she sighed heavily as if the next part was going to be hard to say. "And…you're a better person around her too." She glanced at him before looking away again.

Damon raised a brow and curled his lip up in contempt. "Does this mean we're _friends_?" he asked drawing out the last word with discomfort.

Bonnie shook her head. "Nope. It just means I'm willing to tolerate you." She gave him a half smile.

Damon sighed in relief. "Good. I like this thing we've got going." He waved a finger between them. "It's so fun making you angry." He smirked.

Bonnie nodded before standing up calling out a goodbye to Elena, before rushing out. Elena came back in staring at Damon trying to gauge his expression. "How did it go?"

Damon nodded, shifting slightly to get more comfortable. "Fine…she wanted to thank me."

Elena raised both her eyebrows. "Really! That's great…you guy seem to be getting along better."

Damon didn't answer, just frowned as he thought back to earlier that day. "What were you going to say earlier?" he started quietly. "You said I should probably know something…" he trailed off, looking up at her in interest.

Elena blinked a couple of times before gathering her thoughts. _I thought I was going to die…now I don't know if I should tell him. _"Um, I-I don't know…I can't remember what it was." She uttered looking away, taking the damp cloth and dabbing the scorch marks on his face over the bruising and torn skin.

He winced, and stared her down. "Liar."

Elena was about to saw something when Damon furrowed his brow and looked past her. Elena turned around to find Rose standing there. "I guess I missed the big fight." She stated taking in Damon's condition.

"Yeah…Klaus kinda took us by surprise." Damon told her. "They're locked in the tomb now…Mystic falls is safe again." He said a little dramatically.

Rose sighed and sat down in the couch opposite them. "That's great. Wow, it feel good to know I don't have to run anymore." She laughed.

Elena nodded and gave her a small smile. It was still weird being in her presence since her and Trevor had a hand in all this. "Yeah now you can go wherever you want."

Rose kept her eyes on Damon. "I was thinking of staying in town actually." Damon didn't seem to notice the look she gave him, but Elena did.

She huffed and went back to tending to Damon affectionately. "I hear there's a _great _bed n breakfast in town." Elena made sure she heard the hidden meaning behind her words.

Damon frowned at her. "Why…there's plenty of room here, especially since Stefan's gone. You're more than welcome to stay…it's called a Boarding House for a reason." He smirked. "Ow." He looked at Elena, who was roughly dabbing his wounds. "Why are you being so violent?" he asked with a teasing tone.

"Sorry…didn't mean to." She mumbled. "I'm gonna go wash this out." She grabbed the blood soaked cloth and went into the kitchen.

She washed it out on the sink and shook her head. Why was she so upset at the idea of Rose staying here? Was it because she was the third wheel in their friendship? Was it because she was wary about her intentions? Or was it because she clearly liked Damon? She tried not to let it bother her that she was going to be living in the same house with Damon, although she made a promise to herself that she was going to be spending a little more time here.

Author's Note: welllllll…..the showdown is done! I hope you liked the way that they defeated Klaus. I knew that they couldn't kill them; the Originals are waaay too strong to be killed, I wouldn't have even known how to go about it. Next chapter I'll do some flashbacks to Damon explaining the plan and how he involved everyone…just to clear things up. Hope you liked it please review!

Vanessa


	11. Time for Some Real Fun

Chapter 11: Time for Some Real Fun

_Damon watched as Elena went back to class after they went for lunch. He needed to find Caroline. _

_He found her walking to her class and pulled her into and empty classroom. "Damon! What the hell?" she glared at him, pulling her arm out of his grasp._

"_We need to talk." He told her firmly._

_She raised a brow. "So…talk. I have a class to go to."_

_Damon narrowed his eyes at her. "I have a plan to get rid of the Originals, but Elena can't know about it…got it?" it wasn't a question._

_She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right! Like I'm not gonna tell my best friend the plan to save her life." _

_Damon's jaw tightened. "If you tell her, it will get her killed." He explained slowly as if speaking to a child. "One of the Originals, Quinn, can read minds…if he reads that Elena knows what's gonna happen, she dies and so do the rest of us."_

_Caroline nodded. "Okay so what's the plan?" She sat down on a desk and Damon leaned against the teacher's desk._

_Damon put on his cold mask. "Klaus is gonna take Elena. I don't know when, but he will. I can't fight him…I'm not strong enough, but hopefully if he doesn't kill me he takes me wherever he takes her." He crossed his arms and tried to ignore the look of incredulity on the blonde's face._

"_And what if he does kill you what then?" she asked in fear and disbelief that he would so willingly put his life in danger like that. _

"_I've got back up. That's where Katherine comes in." he stated casually. _

_Caroline gaped at him. "Um, are you fucking crazy! We can't trust her…Damon have you completely_ lost_ your mind?" she glared at him._

_Damon rolled his eyes and pinned them on her again. "We can trust her…she wants to be free of Klaus as badly as we do. She's gonna show up and pretend to strike a deal with him…she's got the moonstone so he'll follow her."_

_She frowned. "Well won't the vampire be able to tell if you or Katherine are lying?"_

_Damon shook his head. "Not if vervain is in our system. I'll dose myself up a little and Katherine is immune to it anyway, so we should be golden. Anyways…Katherine's gonna take Elena and bring her to the tomb. That's where you, Bonnie and Tyler come in."_

"_What do you need us for?" she asked in curiosity._

_Damon smiled. "Authenticity. To lift the curse you need the moonstone, a vampire, a werewolf and a witch to work the magic." He explained listing them off on his fingers. "We just want Klaus and the others to _think_ you're tied up and ready for the curse…" he quickly continued when Caroline opened her mouth. "But you won't be. Katherine's going to lead them into the tomb and once they're in…she's gonna run out and Bonnie's going to lock them in there." He smiled, happy with his plan. He just hoped that it worked…and that he'd be alive afterwards._

_Caroline smiled brightly. "That's…a really good plan actually." She hopped off the desk. "So I'm guessing you want me to fill in Bonnie and Tyler?"_

_Damon nodded. "And you _can't_ tell Elena." He stated menacingly. "I cannot stress that enough."_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

One month. It's been one month and Rose was still living at the Boarding House. Couldn't she find her own place to live? She was old enough to have money saved up, Elena was sure of it, so why was she still here? _Damon…obviously._ She thought rolling her eyes as she rapped on the door. It was mid afternoon so he should be up.

The door opened but there was no one there. "Come in." Elena heard Rose's melodic accent from the other side of the door.

Elena walked through the entry, her face tense with disappointment that she was the one that answered. "Rose…is Damon here?" she asked tersely.

Rose nodded. "He's still sleeping…we got a little faced last night." She scratched the back of her head with a laugh. "I think he's still feeling Dicky." At Elena's puzzled look Rose elaborated. "Un well, sick? He thought he could out drink me…he was wrong." Rose sauntered back into the living room and sat on the couch, opening the book she was reading before Elena came.

Elena cast a glance upstairs and let out a sigh. Did she want to go up there on the off chance that she'd find him indecent? She shook it off and made her way upstairs and towards his room. She blew off school today not really wanted to be there. She was tired of the way Caroline was not so subtly hinting how she had the affections of a certain dark haired vampire. She wanted to yell at her _'I already know he loves me Caroline!'_ but that would be bad. Knowing Caroline she'd somehow let it slip to Damon which was not of the good.

She'd been doing so well lately, except for that one time, but he dropped it quickly. She enjoyed her time with him. He was always making her laugh and keeping the frown from her face, and he was there for her when she was lonely after Stefan left.

Despite everything that happened with him, Elena still felt something for Stefan. She understood that the animal he turned into wasn't who he really is and she missed the man she loved. Damon was there to comfort her, and pull her out of the depressing funk she would sometimes burden herself with and she was grateful for that.

She reached his door and pushed it open smiling at his figure on the king size bed. He was sprawled out on his stomach with his cheek to the pillow facing her, his mouth slightly open. Elena let her eyes roam over him, thankful that the dark bed sheets were just covering the curve of his ass. How did he look so innocent and peaceful when he slept and then become a cocky, snarky ass when he woke up?

Elena crept into the room not wanting to wake him, and sat on the edge of his bed looking at the rise and fall of his back as he breathed needlessly. She wondered what he was like when he was human. Was he as smug and supercilious as he is now, or was that something he gained as a vampire; did he have handfuls of women batting their eyes and throwing themselves at him? Probably.

"Stop staring, it's rude." He mumbled into the pillow his eyes still closed.

Elena let out a breath, a little embarrassed that he knew she was watching him. "Sorry…I was just wondering how you could look so cute when you sleep and wake up to be such an asshole." She shot back with a smirk.

Damon's eyes popped open and he smirked back. "You think I'm cute?" he wiggled his brows, turning on his side. His smirk widened into a grin after she looked away from him when the sheet fell lower on his hips. He pulled the sheet up a little covering himself but still showing a little of the dark trail of hair from his belly button to his pelvic bone.

"Only when you're dead to the world." She replied trying her best to hide the smile on her lips. "So how are you…still feeling _Dicky_?" Elena asked saying the last word with emphasis.

Damon's eyes widened with glee. "I'm always feeling dicky!" he briefly let his eyes roam down to his lower half before looking at Elena and waggling his brows.

She laughed and smacked his chest. She tried not to think of how solid he felt. "That's not what I meant, Damon." She scolded.

Damon rolled his eyes and flopped on his back. "Well speak _English_ and maybe I might understand you, Elena." He said her name in that melodious rhythm that made her skin shiver.

Elena huffed and crossed her arms. "According to Rose that _is _English."

"Ahh…British slang. Been around a long time, and still don't understand half the shit they're talking about." He brought his brows together and lolled his head to look at her. "Why aren't you at school? It's Friday…" He was aware that Elena would skip every once in a while and come over here to hang. He didn't mind, but he knew she was missing a lot of school.

Elena shrugged. "I know…I just didn't feel like dealing with everything. I'm taking a mental health day." She stated with conviction.

Damon gave her a lopsided smirk. "You're taking a lot of those."

Elena looked at him hard. "What…are you complaining? You know I'm not the worst company in the world." She repeated the words he once said to her with a teasing tone.

Damon sat up, and to save her from embarrassment he made sure that the sheet covered him. "You're right…I shouldn't be complaining. I _love_ being around my favorite human." He told her with mirth in his eyes.

Elena noticed the way he said _love_ like he was mocking the word. He didn't say the word often, but she noticed when he said it to her that one night he declared with such emotion. Emotion that he kept safely hidden behind that mask he wore. "You better. So…get up, and put some clothes on. We're getting out of this house and we're gonna do something fun!" As he started to throw his feet off the bed, Elena jumped up and headed for the door. "I'll be downstairs." She rushed out in one breath, shaking her head as she heard Damon's laughter from behind the closed door.

It didn't take Damon long to get ready. It was because he was naturally beautiful, he claimed. She rolled her eyes, both of them giving Rose a by before Damon followed Elena to her car.

"You're driving…it's gonna take us _forever_ to get there!" he claimed dramatically, a pout on his face as he pulled open the passenger door. "Where are we going anyway?" he huffed.

Elena rolled her eyes, getting into the driver's seat and turning the ignition. "Do you need to know everything?" she pulled out of the driveway and onto the road.

Damon blinked looking at her with puzzled eyes. "Yes…I thought you knew that?"

Elena glanced at him. "Well I'm not telling you…you can find out when we get there."

Damon leaned towards her and whispered in her ear. "I could always compel it out of you…" he trailed off, fingering her necklace.

Elena tried to hide her anger at his words, and smacked his hand away. "Don't even think about it!" she glared at him, her eyes narrowed into thin slits. "Do you know how _mad_ I would be at you if you ever did that to me?" she asked rhetorically, trying to get a reaction out of him. She never realized how fun this could be.

Damon blinked, before pulling back and looking out the windshield. "Well if I compelled you to forget it, not even _you_ would know how mad you would be." He looked back at her, and threw her a fake grin.

Elena exhaled loudly in rage. How could he say that, with no feeling at all? Without caring how that would affect her? She was so angry she almost didn't want to follow through on her plan for him today...the whole reason she took the day off to thank him for everything. But she knew she would…because she was just as excited as she was sure he would be.

When they pulled up at the club on the outside of town, Elena thankfully jumped out of the car. The whole way Damon was badgering her on where they were going and she tried her best to ignore them. They had stopped for dinner and it was close to six by the time they got there.

"A club?" he asked in with surprise. "I'm impressed, Elena. This was the last place I expected you to take me." He walked around the car and strode beside her as they entered the club. Elena handed the bouncer the tickets she had in her pocket, before he nodding to them and let them through. Damon frowned. "Why didn't he ID you? I didn't even have to compel him." He commented jerking a thumb behind him as they entered the dark room.

"Will you please shut up!" Elena said exasperated, whipping around to look at him. "Why do you have to ask so many questions? Can't you wait and find out like _regular_ people do?" she asked in mock seriousness. They walked up to the bar and wedged in through the body of people. "Can you get me a beer please?"

Damon compelled the bartender to give them two beers before moving towards the sea of bodies in the back of the club where there was a stage. "You know…jeans and a t shirt, not exactly club attire." He pulled at his black shirt, curling his lip up. "And we're wearing sneakers! See, I told you should have told me where we were going." He said with finality, already concluding that he was right.

Elena rolled her eyes and turned to him. "If you'd look around you'd notice that _everyone else_ is wearing the same thing. Trust me, Damon. You'll be happy you did." She patted his shoulder with a smirk before turning to the stage.

The MC got up and everyone started hollering. "Hello, party people! Thanks to everyone comin out tonight…we got a great show for you. This is their first stop on their cross country tour. Please welcome….ANBERLIN!" the whole crowd roared, screamed and jumped up and down as the band came up on the stage and played the first few cords to 'Enjoy the Silence'.

Damon slowly turned his head to look at her with shock written all over his face. "You. Are. _Amazing_." He wrapped his arms around her and twirled her around, relishing in her laughter before putting her down. "I love this band!" He declared looking at the stage and the band rocking out.

"I know!" she shouted over the music. "This is why I took the day off school…I wanted to thank you for everything!" She smiled as Damon hugged her again before grabbing her hands as they danced to the music.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It was well into the evening by the time the concert was over, and Elena and Damon drunkenly stumbled back to the car…well Elena did anyway. "That was so much fun!" she giggled, holding onto him as she tripped over her foot.

Damon laughed genuinely. "I had a great time, Elena…thank you." He came to a sudden stop on the sidewalk, and pulled Elena back to him when she trying to keep walking. "Elena, go back to the car and lock the doors. I'll be right there okay?" he ushered her to the car.

Elena looked at him worriedly. "What's wrong?" she slurred, collapsing in the seat.

"Nothing." He smiled. "I'll be right back." he tucked her legs into the car before closing it and pressing the lock button on her key. Damon swaggered back to the alley behind the club and crossed his arms. "You love just popping up out of nowhere, don't you?"

The silhouette of the figure shrugged, before coming into the light. "What can I say…I like the element of surprise." Katherine smiled simply, tilting her head to the side.

"I thought you'd be long gone by now." He stated, wondering what the hell she was still going here. "Did you follow us here?"

"I was on my way out of town and I picked up on you're scent, thought I stop by and say hello."

Damon narrowed his eyes. "And the real reason you're here is…" he trailed knowing she didn't come to just say hello.

Katherine sighed and cocked her hip. "I just wanted to say something before I left." She looked away feigning indifference.

Damon waved a hand out to her, gesturing her to go ahead. "Well by all means…"

Katherine looked at him hard. "I wasn't really envisioning having the conversation in a back alley." When Damon's glare didn't falter she continued. "I'm…I'm sorry Damon." She declared with reluctance.

Damon was taken aback and it visibly showed. "What?"

The older vampire crossed her arms and looked away, rolling her eyes up. "Please don't make me say it again." She begged.

Damon smirked. "I think I'm gonna have to." He couldn't believe it…_Katherine saying sorry? Unheard of!_

She kept her eyes pinned on him and held her face straight. "I'm sorry for what I did to you." She looked down, dropping her arms to her side before looking at a spot just over his head. "It was never my intention to hurt you or Stefan. I loved you both…" she shook her head and rolled her eyes at herself. "In my own sick and twisted way."

He frowned. "I can't believe you're saying this…I've never heard you say sorry…ever!" he exclaimed in confusion.

Katherine sighed triumphantly, happy that it was over. "And you'll never hear it again. Until next time." She sped out of the back alley and took off past him.

Damon stood there for a minute before walking back to the car. He smiled to himself seeing Elena passed out with her mouth open, and leaning her cheek against the cool window.

She did something so amazing for him tonight. It was save to say tonight went down in his books as one of the best nights of his life. They danced and laughed and had a great time together. He shook his head, as he thought of the way her eyes would look straight into him, or the way her hand felt on his thigh when she laughed at something he said. She was drunk…and it was nice to see her let loose and have real fun.

He slide into her car and peeled out, driving them back home, glancing at her every so often.

Author's Note: I know, it wasn't a super exciting chapter…just a filler chapter, to build more of a relationship with Delena and to get out Katherine's parting words. Might bring her back…not sure yet. Next chapter should be angsty, so please stay tuned! Please review! If I get more than ten, I'll post tomorrow to treat you for being so fuckin awesome!

Vanessa


	12. Rose

Author's Note: Oh My God you guys are so awesome! You got me to ten reviews for chapter 11! I love you guys…so here is your treat Chapter 12. Thank you to driver picks the music, EtherealDemon, xalternativexmusicxgirlx, hoplessromanic549, ajsalvatorexx, LoveEpicLove and all others for your constant reviews and support!

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Chapter 12: Rose

Elena rolled her eyes at the laughter coming from downstairs. Damon and Rose had been drinking in the parlor room for a couple hours already and it was pissing her off. It had been two weeks since the Anberlin concert and Elena kept hinting to both Rose and Damon that she didn't want her around.

"_What a free loader…why can't she just get her own place?" she suggested pulling out the jug of milk from the fridge and pouring it in her coffee._

_Damon stood beside her. "Like you're paying rent." He joked, and put his hands up when she glared at him. "Sorry, I forgot…I'm not aloud to talk about how you stay here almost every night, eating my food, drinking my milk…" he trailed off gesturing to the jug on the counter._

_Elena sighed. "It's not like you use it. You're on the blood diet remember, you buy this stuff _for _me." She smiled brightly at him, putting the jug away._

_Damon nodded. "Cause I like having you around…you keep things interesting." He smirked raising his brows. The microwave beeped and Elena turned around a pulled out the mug of blood handing it to him. "See! You do things like that…no one _ever _warms up my blood for me." He took a sip, keeping his eyes on hers._

_Elena smiled and shrugged. She looked at him seriously, crossing her arms. "I don't like her Damon. She annoys me." She huffed._

_Damon put his hands on her shoulders. "Is it because you feel like you're missing out on your 'Damon time'? Do you think she's stealing me from you?" he teased, mirth in his eyes. _

_Elena rolled her brown orbs dramatically. "I just don't like the way she things she knows everything!" she said in aggravation. _

"_Well she's been around long enough…she _might_ just know everything." Damon lowered his voice. "You know she can hear everything you're saying right?"_

_Elena glared at him pulling away. "I don't care!" she said loud enough hoping she heard._

Elena threw herself on Stefan's bed and stared at his ceiling. When did this get so hard? Why did it bother her so damn much that Damon seemed happy in Rose's company? She didn't want to worry…she knew Damon loved her, but what if because he thought he couldn't have her he tried to move on…with _her._ Elena closed her eyes trying to block out the horrible thought.

"Hey…glad someone's getting use out of this room." A familiar voice from the doorway said. It sounded familiar…but different too.

Elena sat up and looked at him. He looked different too. "Stefan…you're back." He took a step closer and he heart raced.

"Yeah." He looked pained at the fact she was uncertain about him. "Please don't be afraid of me, Elena. I'm better now." He stepped closer and sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm so sorry about what I did to you." He hoped she could see the sincerity in his eyes.

Elena nodded and smiled tightly. "I know that wasn't you…you lost control." She pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. "As long as you're better…" she asked openly.

Stefan smiled. "I am. I've learned to control the cravings."

Elena frowned at him. "You're still drinking human blood?"

"Just the bagged stuff." He quickly assured her. He looked around the room, smelling her scent all over the place.

She looked at him hard, noticing how he seemed to give off a strong air about him. "So are you back for good?" she asked hesitantly. Things were good while he was gone, but she wasn't going to lie to herself about how much she missed him.

"I don't know yet." He answered with a shrug and a smile. He was so carefree and lighthearted now that he didn't care to plan everything out anymore.

She smiled, happy that he was doing so well. "Where'd you go?" Stefan got more comfortable on his bed, crossing his legs as he sat in front of her.

"Arizona, mostly. I have a friend there."

Elena nodded. "Klaus and the Originals are locked in the tomb." She informed him with pleasure.

Stefan's eyes widened, and he grinned. "I heard." At Elena's confused look he continued. "Caroline told me."

"Caroline?" she asked.

"Yeah she tracked me down as soon as I got back into town. She wanted to yell at me for leaving her to deal with Tyler all by herself." He stated with a lopsided smile. He looked back towards the door. "So Rose is living here now?" he voice filling with confusion and disbelief.

Elena rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Yeah unfortunately." She grumbled. "I can't _wait_ until Damon throws her out on her ass!" she exclaimed as she glared at the comforter.

Stefan narrowed his eyes in amusement. "You don't like her."

Elena looked at him with mock innocence, her eyes showing her sarcasm. "Is it that obvious?"

Stefan turned his mouth down and shook his head playing along. They laughed for a moment before turning serious again. "How's Damon?"

Elena smiled brightly. "He's good! He's the one who thought up the plan to lock the Originals in the tomb. He really took charge, Stefan…you'd be proud of him."

Stefan smiled easily. "I can see _you_ are."

Elena nodded. "I am. He's changed so much…I mean, he's still Damon, but he cares now." She played with a loose string in the bed sheet, twirling it around her finger.

"He always cared, Elena." He told her softly. "He just never showed it." He stared at her for a long time before he spoke again. "Does he know yet?" He thought this topic would be hard to talk about, but it seemed easy.

Elena furrowed her brow and tilted her head to the side. "Does he know what?"

"How you feel? You do have feelings for him." It wasn't a question. When she looked at him with wide eyes he smiled. "Its okay, Elena. You don't have to feel bad about hurting me. I've known…for a while." He mumbled looking her dead in the eye.

She closed her eyes, and dropped her head. "I'm so sorry Stefan."

He shook his head and placed a hand on her cheek. "You don't have to say you're sorry…we're not together anymore, and you can't help what you feel." He assured her, smiling when she looked up at him.

She had tears in her eyes and she wiped them away. He smiled more now than he ever did when they were together…and that's when she noticed, that she smiled and laughed more now with Damon than when she was with Stefan. They were better off without each other. "Thank you." She said sniffling.

"No need." He dropped his hand. "So are you gonna tell him?" he searched her face for the answer when she hesitated.

She nodded eventually. "Yeah…I will. I just don't want _her_ to be around when I do." She quickly wiped away the tears under her nose with her finger, looking down in her lap. They sat in comfortable silence for a while before Elena spoke up again. "So are you going to stay here tonight?"

Stefan shook his head. "No…I think I'm gonna stay at the bed and breakfast. Full house." He said in way of explanation.

She nodded. She wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "I'm glad you're back, Stefan. I'm glad you're better." She proclaimed, her eyes closed.

"Me too." He pulled away, tucking her hair behind her ears before leaning forward and kissing her softly on her lips. "Goodbye, Elena." He whispered against her lips before disappearing.

She sat there sighing, looking out the window he exited out of. He was right she should tell him. She heard Rose laugh again. Tomorrow…she'd tell him tomorrow.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Damon stormed back down the stairs with a scowl. Of course…as soon as Stefan came back she would run back into his arms. He didn't want to believe that after everything he did to her, she could kiss him and take him back. He threw himself back on the couch and stared into the fire.

Rose floated back into the room with a bottle of wine. "I thought you didn't brood." She stated pouring herself a glass.

Damon's frown deepened. "I'm not brooding. I'm thinking."

Rose laughed. "You're brooding." She sat down on the couch beside him, resting her arm on the back of the couch. "You _can_ stop this you know?"

He didn't even look at her. "Stop what?"

She tilted her head to the side. "The aching…just shut it off. It's easier that way." She sipped her wine, watching his face for a reaction.

He turned his head to her slowly. "Shut it off and be the monster she despises?" he clarified.

She shrugged. "Don't you think it would be easier than feeling the pain every time she snogs him instead of you?" she took another sip.

Damon smirked. "Or…I could just _snog_ someone else…" he flirted with her, his eyes widening slightly.

She chuckled a little, and leaned forward. "Do you really think just kissing is going to cut it?" she invited in a sultry voice.

"Nope." Damon grabbed her by the waist and forced her to straddle his lap and kissed her with faux passion. He was always good at making it look and feel real, and tonight would be no exception.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Damon was sitting with his back against the couch, feeling something he hadn't felt in a while. Guilt. He looked over at Rose who was sitting a couple feet away from him a blanket wrapped around her body. She munched on the nuts that sat in the bowl on the table and sipping her wine.

"You know you can't really shut it off…" she told him casually. "After a century or two you just have to pretend you can." She shrugged, looking at him.

Damon sighed. "I know. I'm pretty good at that."

She shook her head in amusement and popped a nut in her mouth, crunching on it. "If you love her…you should tell her." She suggested.

Damon looked at the ceiling. "So everyone keeps telling me. I already told her…I just made her forget I said it afterwards." He smirked looking back at Rose.

She chuckled. "Well that defeats the whole purpose of telling her, does it not?"

Damon looked back to the fire. "She doesn't love me." He stated in defeat. "I didn't want to complicate her life more." He narrowed his eyes at her. "Why do you seem so okay with talking about Elena after all the naughty sex we just had?" he asked out of curiosity.

She shrugged. "Because I knew what this was from beginning." She leaned forward a little and smiled. "And not to feed your ego or anything…but who in their right mind would turn down an offer like that?" They shared a smile laugh before she looked upstairs. "She's crying…you should go up there."

Damon nodded and put his clothes on, slowly making his way up there. He wanted to be mad at her, but he couldn't…even if she did take Stefan back.

He stopped at the doorway of Stefan's room, hearing Elena's sniffles and small sobs. Her back was to him so he couldn't see her face, but he was sure it was covered in tears. "What's with the brooding Elena? I thought you'd be with your snuggy bear." He said bitterly, crossing his arms.

He heard her sigh. "No Damon." Her voice was rough with tears. "I'm not with Stefan, you know that." She kept her tone quiet and even trying not to let him know how upset she was. Why would he think she was with Stefan?

Damon chuckled. "Yeah well…your tongue down his throat told me otherwise." He shot back glaring at her back.

Elena shook her head. Of course, he saw the kiss…and now he was upset. "There were no tongues. Please go away." She said firmly, wiping away a tear.

Damon took a couple steps into the room, pushing off the door jab. "What was that I saw then?"

Elena huffed, he wasn't giving up. "You saw a goodbye. Now can you please leave me alone?" she kept her back to him, not quite ready to face him.

Damon crossed his arms again determinately. "Not until you tell me why you're crying." He narrowed his eyes. "Is it because of Stefan?" he asked softly with a little insecurity that he was unfamiliar with.

Elena flipped over the glare at him, her tears still streaming down her face. "No!" she yelled. "This has nothing to do with Stefan…now please leave!" she had a fire that rivaled Katherine's with those words.

But that didn't stop Damon. He stepped closer and sat on the edge of the bed. "Well what is it then?" Concern was written all over his face, and Elena realized that she couldn't stay mad.

But she tried. She looked away from his eyes, tightening her jaw. "You sure showed Rose a good time." When Damon frowned she locked her eyes on his, staring at him scornfully. "You weren't really trying to be quiet, Damon." Her voice lost its edge when she said his name.

Damon frowned in confusion, his mouth slightly open. "You're upset about me and Rose…why?" he asked like it was the craziest notion in the world.

Elena shook her head and laughed pulling herself into a sitting position. "My God you're an idiot." She whispered to herself, continuing before she could stop herself. "I thought that you…" she cut herself off, looking at him with wide eyes before turning away.

Damon looked intently at her, waiting for her to finish. "What? You thought I what?" he prodded, eager for her answer.

She shook her head, and waved a hand at him in a dismissive gesture. "Nothing, forget it." She busied herself with pulling the blanket around her higher, and fixing her pillows.

Damon stared at her for a long time. She was hiding something…and he was gonna find out. "What do you remember from the night I gave you back your necklace?" he asked quietly but resolutely.

Elena sighed, not looking at him, as she lay down and turned away from him. "Nothing Damon I already told you." She feigned a bored tone in the hopes he would drop it…but she knew he wouldn't.

He grabbed her arm and flipped her back over to face him. He was glaring at her now. "Don't lie to me Elena…you suck at it! What do you remember?" he demanded, his eyes flashing dangerously.

Elena closed her eyes, and sighed again. "I'm tired, can we please not do this now?" she tried very hard to keep the wobble out of her voice, but failed miserably.

"Tell me, Elena!" he shouted through gritted teeth.

"Everything, okay!" she finally exclaimed, pulling her arm out of his grasp. She watched the shock come over his face. "I remember everything you said; I remember how you told me you loved me, and then how you _tried_ to compel it away!" she shouted back, more tears making their way down her cheeks.

Damon stared at the wall behind her head, and swallowed hard. "So…"his voice was eerily calm now. "This whole time you've been acting like you know nothing?" he couldn't belief she knew. She wasn't supposed to know. Why didn't she say anything?

Elena closed her eyes and sighed, pulling herself to sit a little closer to him, she was happy that he didn't move. "Yes…I was afraid you'd compel me if you found out." She said gently, reaching out to him but he moved away, glaring at her.

"Well I am!" he declared. His jaw tightened so hard she could see the muscle twitch. "I didn't want you to know that!"

Elena sat up on her knees, her eyes following him as he paced the floor. "But I want to remember, Damon." She cried. "That night you shared something so special with me." She watched as he shook his head in disbelief, pacing and running his hands through his hair to lock behind his neck. "You opened up and let your walls down. Please don't take that away from me." She whimpered, her heart aching for the man obviously going through pain in front of her.

Damon turned to her his eyes wide and flashing with fear she'd never seen there before. "Why, Elena? I can't be the person you want me to be…I'm not a person at all!" he bellowed throwing his arms in the air.

Elena crawled off the bed and stood in front of him, making him see her. "Don't you see, Damon! You already are." She shook her head. "I don't want you to be like Stefan…I just want you to be _you_." She placed a warm, delicate hand to his cheek, and watched as his leaned into it, closing his eyes. "The _real _you, not this front you put up to keep everyone out."

Damon opened his eyes again to stare at her, surrendering to her touch. "I can't do that." He whispered. "How am I supposed to act knowing…you know, and not have you?" he pushed out, trying to hold himself together. Struggling with the words he really wanted to say.

Elena smiled at him, and placed her other hand on his opposite cheek. "You can say it, Damon." She nodded as he shook his head. "You've said it once you can say it again." Elena encouraged.

"I _can't._" he pronounced, his eyes filling up.

Elena sighed. "Please…please just say it." She begged him, hey eyes looking back and forth between his.

He looked at her for a minute, watching as she waited patiently for him to say the words he vowed he'd never say again. "I…" he faltered, looking down before looking up at her again. "I _love_ you, Elena." He put as much emotion behind those four words as he could, because the words on their own didn't mean as much as how he really felt for her.

He was panicked when she was silent, but felt the relief seep in when she beamed up at him. Elena locked her arms around his neck and pulled herself up to his lips; kissing him so softly, he shivered. He held her closer, clutching her body so close to him that he could feel her heart pound in his own chest.

She moaned as he ran his tongue gently over her bottom lip, and aloud his tongue to mingle with hers. She ran her fingers through the dark locks at the back of his head, and wrapped her legs around him. He lit a fire inside her with his touch…a fire she knew would always burn.

When she pulled away to breathe, Damon kissed down her neck and chest, and Elena gasped and sighed in pleasure, leaning back to give him access. She could hear him mumbling between kisses softly. "I love you…I love you so much, Elena." He whispered against her breast and that alone made her shake with lust. She pulled his head up to look at him. "Thank you…" she whispered against his lips. "Thank you for telling me."

She kissed him passionately again before pulling away, smiling with uncontained happiness. There was nothing to keep them apart now: no secrets, no Stefan, just them….and Rose. She glared and smacked his chest, hopping out of his arms.

"You slept with Rose!" she shouted.

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Author's Note: Please don't hate me for leaving it there! And please don't hate me for having Damon sleep with Rose…it needed to happen! Anyways I decided to be nice and update and post tonight….then be evil and leave you with a cliffhanger! Hehehe. I really hope you guys liked that chapter; I had a lot of fun writing it. Its 2:50am now yawn! Thanks again to all of you that review me all the time and support me and this story. I wish I could give you a cookie for your efforts. I guess my updates with have to do! Anyways GOODNIGHT ALL!

Vanessa


	13. The Morning After

Author's Note: First of all…sorry for the late update, I've been really busy with work and such! But here's an update for ya! Second of all, OMG The Sacrifice was AMAZING! And the previews are insane…lost my shit when I saw Stefan and Katherine, but I'm sure they're gonna twist it in some way to fool us, like they always do! And lastly….please please please don't hate me for this chapter, the next one will be better, and I will make up for it I promise ;) Remember this is Damon…and he is a wee bit fucked up. But like I said next chapter will redeem this one! Please enjoy and review!

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Chapter 13: The Morning After

There was nothing to keep them apart now: no secrets, no Stefan, just them….and Rose. She glared and smacked his chest, hopping out of his arms.

"You slept with Rose!" she shouted.

Damon closed his eyes in regret of ever doing that. "I know, Elena and I'm sorry…but it didn't mean anything." He pleaded, in a sad tone.

"It doesn't change that you slept with her! How could you sleep with her if you love me?" she demanded a vein popping out on her forehead.

Damon got on the defensive. "Because I thought that you didn't want me!" he shouted. "I tried to make the pain go away…I tried to pass the time, Elena! As far as I knew you and Stefan were back together!" His eyes were blazing and any other person would have backed away in fear, but Elena narrowed her gaze and stepped forward.

"Well maybe if you didn't jump to conclusions, this would have never happened!" her face softened and she took a breath. "You never noticed…how I've been acting around you lately? You didn't pick up on anything different coming from me?" she asked tilting her head to the side. He shook his head in confusion. "I've been practically _throwing_ signs in your face for the past two months." She laughed humorously.

Damon looked taken back. "I had no idea…"

Elena smiled. "Well now you know." she sobered. "I want her gone, Damon. I can't stand her enough as it is..." she rambled as Damon closed the distance between them.

"Done." He promised.

She smiled and relaxed. "Thank you."

Damon swooped her up into his arms and sped into his bedroom, gently laying her on his king-size mattress. He got in after her opened his arms for her to mold her body to his. They both sighed in contentment. Elena rested her head on his chest and wrapped her arm around his torso, while Damon ran his hand soothingly through her locks.

Elena giggled looking up at him when she heard a sound coming from him. "Are you purring?"

Damon frowned, his eyes still closed. "No…" he scoffed, before sighing. "Yes. I'm comfy, it's…nice to have you so close." He was trying to be honest with her, but it was still hard for him to say what he was really feeling.

Elena cuddled further into him. "I like it…" she whispered. "The purring, it's comforting." She placed a kiss on his clothed chest, and didn't miss his slight intake of breath at her touch.

"You've never heard Stefan-" Damon started.

"Can we _not_ talk about Stefan right now?" she cut him off. "This is you and me…no Stefan." She stated, shaking her head to emphasize her point. Elena rolled her eyes when Damon continued.

"How are we gonna tell him? I mean…he's gonna be pretty pissed at me, not like I care really but-" he rambled looking at the ceiling.

She sighed, pulled away from him slightly to see his face. "He knows, Damon. We talked about it tonight…he said he's known that there was something between us for a long time." She explained, looking into his icy blue eyes.

"Really?" he gave her a half smile. "Well that makes things a little easier." He pulled her back into his arms when he saw her cover a yawn. "Go to sleep, Lena…we can talk more in the morning." He kissed the crown of her head, and hugged her to his body. He couldn't seem to get her close enough.

"Mmk." She mumbled sleepily, her eyes falling heavy.

"I love you…" he whispered, after she was already asleep, watching her for a few moments before closing his eyes. He wouldn't actually sleep tonight, he was too consumed with the thought that Elena was sleeping peacefully in his arms. That she had feelings for him, that she wanted to be his and wanted him to love her. His mind went wild with thoughts all night until the early morning.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena woke the next morning to the sun shining on her face. She smiled and stretched, feeling for Damon's toned chest beside her, but all she felt were his cold black silk sheets. She frowned and opened her eyes, glancing around the room and finding him standing looking out the window with his arms crossed.

Morning." She moaned out happily.

He didn't turn back to her when he answered. "Morning…"

Elena sat up and ambled over to him wrapping her arms around his waist and kissing his shoulder blade. "Why aren't you still in bed?" she mock scolded.

"I couldn't sleep." He answered flatly.

She leaned up to catch a glance at his face. "I'm disappointed in you Damon Salvatore…I was looking so forward to waking up next to you, you ruined it for me!" she joked, playfully biting his shoulder. She laughed, and then sobered when Damon didn't moved or say anything. "Damon?" she pulled on his arm and forced him to look at her. "What's wrong?" she asked him, her voice barely a whisper.

Damon caught her gaze before looking at a spot above her head. "I've just been thinking…don't worry about it."

Elena expelled a shaky breath. "How can I not worry about it when you're acting like this?" She searched his face for an answer and when he didn't she continued. "Please tell me?" Her voice constricted with emotion.

He finally looked at her and his eyes softened, taking a minute before speaking. "This…no matter how much I want it to," he started in a whisper. "…can't work." His jaw tightened, hating himself for saying this to her.

Elena's mouth dropped open in shock. "What?" Did he really just say that? Did she just imagine it?

Damon took her face in his hands. "What can I give you?" His blue eyes flashed back and firth to her brown ones, blinking away the tears that started to build up. "What can I give you besides death and pain and heartbreak?" his voice cracked as the power of his feelings weighed down on him. "That's all I know…" he shrugged in defeat. "That's all I can give you Elena…and you don't deserve that." He shook his head, and a tear ran down his cheek.

Elena let her own tears fall, holding his hands to her face. "That's not true, Damon." She cried. "You can give me love! That's all that matters!" she declared, stepping closer to him.

He shook his head and moved to sit on the end of the bed, letting his head hang. Elena shakily knelt in front of him, resting her hands on his thighs. "I can't give you a family…" he mumbled hoarsely. "I can't give you a life worth living…" he looked up at her and she was shocked to see the vulnerability and agony on his face caused by his own words. Damon blue eyes shone in a way she'd never seen before. "I can't grow _old_ with you, Elena!"

She shook her head, her eyes so blurry from tears she could barely see him. "No, I don't care about that!" Damon reached out to wipe away her tears, but she pulled back, angrily wiping them away herself. "So, what was last night then?" she demanded. "Y-you, tell me how much you love me a-and then you just take it all back the next morning?" she stuttered miserably.

Damon ghosted a hand over her hair, twirling the ends around his fingers. "I'm not taking it back Elena…I _love_ you. And it's because I love you that I don't want to _hurt _you." He swallowed hard, knowing that even though his heart wasn't beating it was breaking.

She swatted his hand away. "Yeah well, you just did." She stated harshly, as she forced herself to her feet and rushed out of the room.

Damon expelled an unnecessary breath, and dropped his head into his hands. He hated doing that to her, and to himself. He finally had the woman he loved and he pushed her away because he couldn't handle it. He knew she'd be better for it in the long run…and he would suffer everyday he was without her.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena spent the next entire week holed up in her bedroom under the covers. Jenna would come in, bring her food that she barely touched, Jeremy would attempt to soothe her with words she didn't hear, and Bonnie and Caroline tried to get her out of the house to distract her from aching that she felt in her heart. Nothing worked…Elena didn't want to do anything but curl up in Damon's arms and sob, but even if she could, she was too mad to do so.

How could he do that? How could he make her feel all that love and passion and excitement one night, then make her feel nothing but pain, and loneliness and despair the next day? _Love sucks…_

She was all alone in the house. It was a dark day; reminiscent of her mood, and Jenna and Jeremy were out of the house for the day. Jenna was at Alaric's wanting to give Elena some space, and Jeremy was 'out staking a vampire for making his sister cry'. She knew Jeremy wouldn't actually stake Damon, for many reasons, but he hoped to knock some sense into him.

Elena heard three resounding knocks on her door, and ignored them. When they continued, she burrowed further into the bed hoping it would go away. It continued for a few minutes before it stopped for a couple of seconds. She jumped when tapping started to come from her bedroom window.

Hoping it was Damon; she flung the covers off and saw Rose on the other side of the glass pane. "Elena…you don't have to invite me in, but I'd like to talk to you if you have a minute." She smiled slightly.

Elena glared at the window for a while, before storming over and throwing to window up. "What do you want?" she demanded, coldly.

"You don't like me very much…" she stated jokingly.

Elena rolled her eyes. "What on earth gave you _that_ idea?" she asked sarcastically.

Rose got right to the point. "What ever happened between Damon and I meant nothing."

Elena narrowed her gaze and cocked her head to the side. "Is that suppose to make me feel better?" she crossed her arms defensively.

"It was a sort of comfort." Rose explained. "It was solace."

Elena sighed and glanced around her room before sitting on her bed, tucking a leg under her. "Well I hope _you_ feel comforted, because I don't. Damon's barely speaking to me." She mumbled, trying to keep the tears at bay.

Rose's eyes followed Elena, looking at her with sympathy. "Give him time, Elena. This is all new to him…" she laughed almost humorously. "He spent the last _twelve_ months thinking he couldn't have you."

Her eyes dropped to her duvet cover. "And now he can, and he's pushing me away."

Rose was silent for a while before speaking again. "Damon…is a complicated sort of person. He hides his true feelings to protect himself. It's a defense mechanism." Rose leaned against the frame. "It's something he's been doing all his life and it's not easy for him to turn his back on it."

Elena held her eyes for a moment. "You can come in Rose." She didn't feel threatened, and if she was being totally honest she would say that Rose was a decent distraction from the pain.

Rose gracefully hopped through the window, and sat on the bed beside Elena like they were best friends. "Katherine hurt him…and for a man like Damon, it's not easy to open up to the chance of getting hurt again." Rose tilted her head to the side. "Have you even told him you love him?"

Elena frowned. "No, but he knows…he has to."

Rose smiled and dropped her gaze for a second before meeting Elena's again. "He won't know until you tell him. Show him that he's not the only one, and you'll see a change. I can basically guarantee it!" Rose said confidently as she stood and walked back to the window.

"Why are you helping me?" Elena asked curiously.

Rose turned back. "Because you deserve some happiness in your life…you both do." With that said, Rose disappeared out the window, leaving Elena to her thoughts.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Damon sat in the parlor in his chair nursing a bottle of scotch…not a glass the entire bottle; his second one so far. He was glad Stefan decided to stay somewhere other than the Boarding House because he couldn't really take dealing with anyone right now. He was drowning in his sorrows.

As if the world wanted to punish him further, the front door burst open cracking hard against the wall. He heard two pairs of clicking heels storming towards the parlor, and took a long gulp preparing himself for a bitching.

"What the hell is you're fucking problem, Damon!" Caroline yelled coming to stand in front of him, followed shortly by Bonnie. Both girls we're giving him death glares. "Elena is a complete an utter mess, and for some _wild_ and _crazy_ reason I think it has something to do with you!" she shouted, sarcasm lacing her biting tone.

Damon closed his eyes and blocked it out.

"Hey!" Bonnie bellowed, kicking him hard in the shin. "What did you do to her? I swear if you hurt her in anyway-" she threatened, narrowing her eyes to slits.

Damon sighed, bringing the bottle to his lips and drinking deeply before responding. "What…you mean to tell me she didn't tell you already?" he tried to sound like his usual cocky and unaffected self, but with the amount of alcohol and his emotions fluctuating the way they were, his voice sounded strained.

Caroline crossed her arms and flicked her hair back. "What, you mean in between the sobs, and the isolation and the _not_ speaking to anyone? No…I think it slipped her mind." The blonde was fuming at the vampire in front of her.

That got his attention. "What?"

Bonnie's lips set in a firm line. "That girl…that's locked away in her room and totally broken; I don't even know who that is, because that's not Elena! She's a shell of Elena…she barely get out of _bed_ Damon, so you better tell us what you did to her or I'm gonna start doing that thing you hate!" she threatened darkly.

Damon opened his arms up. "Go ahead Bonnie…I'm sure it'll feel a hell of a lot better than the pain I'm already feeling."

"What. Did. You do to her?" Caroline demanded.

"I broke her heart…" he laughed bitterly. "And then I broke my own."

Bonnie shook her head. "What are you talking about?"

Damon gulped some more scotch. "Last night we aired some dirty laundry." He slurred. "I told her I love her…and she admitted to wanting to be with me. But I can't give her what she needs…what she wants." He rambled. He ignored the part of his brain that told him he was baring his soul to Caroline and Bonnie. "I can't give her a family or, anything really…" he trailed off.

Both girls looked on in awe at the man that they thought was heartless, open up about his fears. They glanced at each other briefly before turning back to him when he continued to rant.

"And I love her…I love her so much but…I don't _deserve _her. I don't…so, I had to end it." He wasn't even looking at them; it looked like he was talking to himself. "I had to let her go…" he nodded. "She's better off without me."

Caroline looked at him with wide eyes. "Um, are you _retarded_ or something? Did you _not_ hear me? Elena is a _mess_ right now, okay! She's missing you like crazy, clearly, and you're sitting here what, drowning yourself in a bottle of scotch?"

Damon blinked and looked at the bottle. "Pretty much, yeah…" he agreed slowly.

"Yeah well not anymore." Bonnie pried the bottle out of his hand with ease and put it back on the wet bar.

"Hey!" he cried moodily. "I was drinking that, Bonnie." He dragged out her name spitefully.

Caroline pulled him to his feet. "You are going to sober you're ass up and get you're shit together because you need to fix this!"

Damon pulled out of her grasp and stumbled to the wet bar grabbing his bottle of scotch and walking towards the stairs. "She'll get over it…it's not like she loves me or anything." He mumbled out. Bonnie didn't quiet hear it but Caroline did.

"You're an idiot if you think she doesn't!" she yelled back, watching him pause on the landing before continuing to drag himself to his room.

"Guess I'm an idiot!" he hollered back.

Caroline huffed. "God, he's a stubborn ass!"

Bonnie frowned glancing at her friend. "Do you really think she loves him?"

The blonde raised a brow. "Do you think she'd be _this_ messed up if she wasn't?"

Author's Note: Sorry guys! Love me anyways though okay! Next chapter will be less angsty and drama filled! I thought it would be something Damon would do, because it didn't seem like him to just accept it right away no matter how much me loves her. Damon has too many problems in that department to readily accept the boyfriend role so quickly. Am I right? Anyways hope you liked it, please leave me a review an tell me what you thought.


	14. 175

Author's Note:

Here you go guys! Chapter 14. Hope you like it.

Also…I saw a crow outside my bedroom window staring at me, and part of me hoped it was Damon…the crazy part.

VERY IMPORTANT: THIS CHAPTER IS RATED T – M FOR SEXUAL CONTENT.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 14: 175

Elena paced her room nervously. It had been another week and she still hadn't heard anything from Damon but drunken phone calls that she couldn't make out. Bonnie and Caroline stopped by to tell her they reamed Damon out and that he was just a big of mess as she was. Elena made the decision that she needed to talk to him.

She glanced at the wrapped up package on her dresser, and grabbed it before leaving the house. Her heart was beating so fast as she approached the Boarding House that she had to take a couple of deep breaths before getting out of the car.

Elena didn't bother to knock. She entered quietly and made her way into the parlor, where she was sure Damon resided.

She stared at the chair he was sitting in, nursing a drink and staring at the fire. "Hey." She greeted quietly.

Damon didn't even turn around. "What are you doing here?"

Elena huffed, and walked around to stand in front of him. "I've come to a conclusion." She stated firmly, holding the package in one hand.

Damon raised a brow. "You have, have you?" he was trying to be as casual as possibly, but his voice was raw from misuse and the emotions clouding his mind.

Elena smiled sweetly, and sat on his lap, and put an arm around his neck to play with his dark locks. "We're gonna be together." She shrugged. "You can't push me away Damon. You should know by now how persistent I can be." She teased. She saw the beginning of a smile grace his lips before he quickly hid it.

"What's that?" he nodded to the package in her lap.

Elena smirked. "It's called a present." She explained slowly.

Damon rolled his eyes. "I know that. Who's it for?"

Elena held it out. "You…" she drawled out like it was obvious.

"Why…?" he asked in the same tone.

Elena frowned. "Well one usually _does_ get presents on their birthday, don't they?" she continued to mock him. She missed their playful banter.

Damon reeled back in shock. "How did you know it was my birthday? That's not information I usually _divulge_." He looked at her then down at the present.

She raised a brow. "I'm a girl Damon. Girl's snoop." When he looked up to glare at her she flashed him a bright smile. "Open it." She was excited…she knew he would like it.

Damon placed his drink on the floor beside the chair and tore into the carefully wrapped gift, pulling out a worn book. The pages you could tell had been flipped many times and were tinted yellow with old age. The cover was well worn leather with the gold cursive of 'The Coral Island' across the front.

He frowned and swallowed hard, running his hand over the leather. "This was my favorite book when I was a kid." His words were low and quiet.

"I know." She replied happily.

Damon turned his eyes on her. "How could you _possibly _know that?" he fingered the pages absentmindedly.

Elena shrugged and curled into him more. "Well it was my favorite too…well Lord of the Flies was. I brought it up a long time ago and Stefan told me that you liked the original so…" she trailed off nodding to the book.

Damon shook his head, opening the cover to examine it. "Thank you. Where did you get this?"

"The antique book shop in town. I lucked out though, this was the last one." She smiled when Damon wrapped his arms around her.

"Thank you, Elena…I love it." She knew him. She knew him better than anyone, and it rocked him to his very core, that this little slip of a girl could _know_ things he never cared to open up to anyone about before.

She hugged him back, content in his arms. "Happy one-hundred and seventy-fifth birthday, Damon, God…that was a mouthful." She giggled.

Damon looked down at the top of her head, which was snuggled under his chin. "You actually did the math?"

"Yup."

He rested his head on the back of the chair. "Now I feel old." He grumbled.

Elena looked up at him. "That was only one of your presents. The other one is upstairs." She jumped off his lap and grabbed his hand pulling him to his feet. Damon placed the book on the chair, and followed her up the stairs and into his room.

Damon looked around but couldn't find anything. Elena was standing in the middle of his room. "So where is this _other_ present?" he asked letting his eyes settle on her.

Elena smirked. "You're lookin at her." At his confused look she stepped closer to him placing her hands on his chest. "I'm stupid for not realizing it earlier; that you wouldn't know until I told you." She took a deep breath gazing right into Damon's blue eyes. "I love you." She expressed them with as much passion as possible, watching him exhaled deeply with relief and happiness. She could see him holding himself together in front of her, trying not to cry and keeping himself from breaking down completely. She said it. She said the words he'd been waiting over a hundred years to hear. Someone loved him and it was someone he loved back. "And I don't want kids, or a family or growing old if I can't do it with you." A tear ran down her cheek and he wiped it away with the pad of his thumb.

Damon caught her last words and frowned. "I don't want to turn you…I don't wanna give you a life like this." He whispered pulling her closer.

Elena buried her head in his chest breathing in his scent. "It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. I don't want to be all old and grey and wrinkly while you're still smokin' hot." She joked, and smiled when it got a chuckle out of Damon. Her voice turned serious again. "I've never felt this way about anyone…the passion, the love, everything. It consumes me…it's like my entire body is on fire and I never want it to stop burning." She explained clutching him tighter, her voice strained with emotion.

Damon dropped his head to her shoulder, inhaling her scent and placing kisses over the tears that dropped there. He shook slightly with the intensity of her words and their embrace. "I know…I know." He could barely speak right now he was so overwhelmed with amazement and happiness. "God, Elena…I love you so much." His voice cracked a little. "I can't even…" he trailed off the words dying in his throat.

She pulled away to look at his face, placing her hand to his cheek, and wiping away his tears. "I love you too. We can do this Damon, there's nothing holding us back anymore. This, what we have, it's not wrong…it's so so right, and we shouldn't have to hide it from ourselves or anyone else." Elena expressed firmly. She ran her hands down from his face to his chest, caressing his through the thin material of his shirt, while Damon had one arm around her waist drawing lazy circles on her lower back and the other running through her long tresses.

He nodded, before leaning down and capturing her lips in a soft kiss. Elena pressed herself against him, clutching his shirt in her hands. He was making it hard for her to stand with his kiss. As gentle as it was it stirred something inside her that she hadn't felt before.

She didn't even have time to register that she was on Damon's bed now and he was caressing her face as he placed lust filled kisses all along her jaw and neck. She sighed shakily, encouraging him by running her fingers through his hair. She heard him growl lightly, and continued his way down her chest with eagerness.

Elena was panting now. Damon was playing her like a fine tuned guitar and all they'd done so far is kiss. Damon looked up at her from under his lashes, and smirked at the flushed tone of her skin. He captured her lips again passionately, slipping his tongue out to run over her bottom lip, before letting it mingle with hers. His large hand traveled up her toned stomach under her shirt and was delighted as the muscles danced under his touch.

He used the help of his other hand to pull it up and over her head, breaking their kiss momentarily. Damon threw the shirt across the room and gazed down on her tanned skin in contrast against the black bra she wore. He was panting himself, even though he didn't need to, and he was enticed by the way her chest heaved beneath him. He gently raised his ringed hand, brushing away the hair from her face before trailing it down her neck to her chest, and then to slowly peel away her left bra strap in awe of what was about to happen.

Elena grabbed the hem of his shirt with shaky hands trailing them upward and softly grazing Damon's skin. He pulled it over his head Elena immediately placed her hands on his bare chest, feeling the coolness of his skin and the hard muscle that lay beneath it.

Her body was in overdrive right now. Every single touch to her skin had her melting. Damon rested his weight on his palms on either side of Elena, locking his blue eyes onto her brown ones, before dipping for another ardent kiss. She ran her fingers through his hair and moving her body as close to his as she could. She pulled away to place wet kisses on his neck and shoulder Damon's eyes shut in contentment.

He reached down for the button and zipper on Elena's jeans, and shifted slightly to peel them off along with her thong, socks and shoes. He had to take a moment to look at the woman in front of him. Her skin bare and flawless, save a few bruises, her hair spread out over his pillow, and her breasts rising with each breath.

When he started undoing his belt, and then the button and then the zipper, Elena's heartbeat sped up, her eyes running over his lean form. And Damon smirked knowing how he was affecting her. Once he lost his jeans and boxers he resumed his spot kneeling before her, caressing his hands up her smooth calves and thighs, and hips before pulling her body upwards towards him. Damon's fingers danced along her spine and found her bra unhooking the clasps deftly. She released her arms from the straps and wrapped them around him, gasping as she felt the first contact of his chest against hers. He pushed her hair back from her shoulders and kissed along her collar bone and Elena exhaled a sigh. Damon smiled against her heated skin. He wanted to drag this out as long as possible, in a way to prove to himself that she was really in his arms, writhing against him as he teased her. When her pulse throbbed under his lips the veins below his eyes darkened and his eyes turned red. He turned his head away from her when his fangs pushed through his gums.

"Hey…" Elena grabbed his face and tilted it up to hers. "You don't have to hide from me." She ran her delicate fingers down his nose, and under his eyes and then placed a kiss on his lips around his fangs.

It was a sweet moment for Damon. It was Elena accepting him as he was, with no judgment, just love despite his flaws. He moaned into her mouth when he felt his fang nick her lip and quickly pulled his head away again and made a moved to get up.

Elena held onto his tight and looked him in the eyes. "It's okay Damon. I want you to…" she flung her hair off her shoulder and bared her neck to him. "I trust you."

Damon eyed her neck with uncontained lust and hunger. His eyes darted to her to see if she was serious. "You want me to…?" he clarified quietly.

Elena smiled. "I'm yours Damon…all of me, including this." Damon slowly moved closer to her neck, resting on hand on her upper arm and the other plowed through her hair at the back of her neck. She encouraged him by urging his head closer. Damon licked and kissed her skin before carefully sinking his teeth into her, relishing in her gasp of pleasure and pain. He gripped her arm moaning as her blood coated his tongue and danced down his throat. She tasted so good, but he had to stop. If it were anyone else he wouldn't have. He knew just how much to take before someone couldn't function, and he wanted Elena completely functional tonight.

She was panting above him, her mouth parted slightly. Her eyes gazed at him blissfully before narrowing and kissing him hard. She tasted her blood on his lips be she didn't care, as she nibbled on his bottom lip and clutching him tighter. When she bit his lip she drew a little blood, and sucked on it, surprised at how she liked the taste.

Damon forced her back to the bed and let his hand travel down between her thighs. She whimpered loudly and pitched her hips up. Damon couldn't tease her or himself anymore. He positioned himself and linked his hands with her over her head before slowly entering.

The room was filled with gasps and moans as their bodies moved together for the rest of the day, pulling pleasure and release out of each other over and over and over again.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena pushed around the eggs frying in the pan with a spatula. It was well into the afternoon now but she worked up an appetite for breakfast food. Her long dark tresses were tied up in a high ponytail and she was clothed in only one of Damon's black button up shirts and her thong.

She hummed mindlessly to herself before turning her head to the entry of the kitchen. Damon stepped through a couple seconds later.

"Oh, you look _so hot _in my shirt." He exclaimed speeding himself to her side and giving her a lasting kiss.

Elena giggled and turned back to the eggs. "I know…I think I might steal it." She smirked mischievously.

Damon opened the fridge to grab his bagged blood. "Go ahead, its not like I don't have like _a million _of them." He stuck the lV tube in his mouth and sucked out of it like a straw, looking at her.

Elena placed the eggs in a plate and put the pan in the sink. "I felt you coming…" she started, glancing at him.

Damon's eyes widened comically and smirked slyly. "I felt you coming too…more than once." He teased.

Elena smacked him in the chest. "Not what I meant. At the door when you came in, it was like I knew you were gonna be there." She grabbed a fork and dug in.

Damon nodded. "You can sense me. A little perk to shared blood during sex…not only are you connecting your bodies, but you're connecting your mind too. Once my blood is out of your system it'll go away."

Elena canted her head to the side. "I think it's kinda cool." She groaned a little as she sat down.

Damon frowned and came to sit in the chair beside her. "You okay?" he asked concerned.

She just shook her head, looking down at her plate. "Yeah I'm fine, just…a little sore, that's all." She blushed keeping her head down.

Damon continued to stare at her still sipping the blood. "Did I make it hurt in all the right places?" he asked cockily raising a brow.

She rolled her eyes. She knew he would tease her about it. "And some of the wrong places…you made me use muscles I didn't even know I had." She shoveled a forkful in her mouth.

Damon focused on her neck, looking at the red wound in the shape of his teeth. It was healing a little from his blood, but she didn't have enough to heal it completely. He was mad at himself for marking her skin like that.

Elena caught his eyes. "Damon…I _asked_ you to. It doesn't even hurt that much anymore and it'll go away." When his expression didn't change she crawled onto his lap. "I'm _fine_, I promise. So birthday boy…how do you wanna spend the rest of your birthday?" she leaned her forehead against his.

"Here. With you…in bed." he smiled. "Sound good?"

She giggled and nodded against him. "Mhmm. Race ya!" she bolted up and booked it for the stairs. She pushed through Damon's bedroom door to find him already standing there with his arms crossed.

She stopped suddenly, narrowing her eyes. "You cheated!"

Damon rolled his eyes. "I didn't _cheat_. I just used my skills to my advantage." He explained as he stepped toward her. He picked her up in his arms, grinning at her boisterous laughter, and throwing her on the bed before himself. He brushed her hair away from her face. "I love you." The words rolled off his tongue so easily now.

Elena broke out on a bright smile. "I love you." She started laughing again and buried her head in his chest.

Damon looked down at her. "What?"

Elena looked up at him again. "We're gonna turn into that sickeningly sweet couple we used to hate, aren't we?"

Damon shrugged. "It might be fun…making everyone nauseatingly _appalled_ by our _passionate kisses _and murmurs of _sweet nothings_." Damon mocked with exaggeration.

"Not everyone is against us you know…" Elena mentioned, drawing patterns on his chest.

Damon gazed at her for a long time. "And if they are…I don't care. It doesn't change anything. You're _everything_ to me." He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand and loved the way she leaned into it. She was finally his. He looked down at her curled in his arms like she was molded to him…and he knew he would never love anything more.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Author's Note:

Sorry for the late update guys. I hope you liked that chapter and it wasn't too smutty for some of you. I thought I'd give you some fluff…the next chapter will be less angsty as well. Please review, thank you again.


	15. Icarus

Author's Note: Thank you all who reviewed! I got soo many for the last chapter! I hope you like this one; I have a little surprise at the end! I know it's not very long, but I'm very tired and I wanted it to end here to better set me up for the next chapter

Chapter 15: Icarus

Elena stilled from her position over Damon when the doorbell rang. She was about to hop off him when Damon held her hips in place.

"No…Elena don't you dare move." He scolded.

Elena smiled down at him her hair draping around her face in waves. "It could be important." She justified. When the doorbell rang again she raised her brows. "See? I'll be right back…wait here." She slid off him, both of them groaning at the loss of contact.

Damon leaned up to kiss her hard. "Don't be long, Elena!" he called out, throwing his head back onto the pillow and sighing.

Elena grabbed the shirt she was wearing earlier and pulled on a pair of booty shorts before rushing to the door. She pulled it open to see Caroline ready to push the doorbell again.

"Oh, you're here!" her eyes lit up brightly.

"Yeah, I came by to see Damon this morning and we worked it out." She said shyly.

Caroline looked her up and down. "I see that! Anyways…I was just wondering if Stefan was here. I need to talk to him about something."

Elena shook her head and leaned against the door. "Oh, he's not here. I think he's still at the Bed and Breakfast."

Caroline nodded a little disappointed. Her eyes widened as she looked past Elena. Damon walked up behind Elena only in his jeans...which were undone and hanging loosely on his hips. He placed his large hands on her hips and stepped flush against her.

"Hello, Caroline." He rested his cheek on the top of Elena's head. She couldn't help at smile at how open and sweet he was being to her in front of her friend.

"Hi…Damon." She waved awkwardly. "You look a lot less hammered since the last time I saw you." She kidded. "Boy, were you haggard!" she laughed out.

Damon smiled tightly and ignored her comment. "You just interrupted us at a very _inconvenient_ time…I would be nice to me right now if I were you." He sneered, narrowing his eyes.

"Damon…" Elena chided. "Don't worry about it Caroline, he's just trying to be difficult." She mocked glared at him

He glared back comically before kissing her softly. "I'll be upstairs." He whispered before turning around and walking away.

Caroline raised an eyebrow. "So did Damon get an overnight _lobotomy_?" she laughed. "He's so different, I mean besides that one comment." She rolled her eyes.

Elena shrugged. "That's Damon, Caroline. He just never showed that side to anyone else." She explained.

"I guess you bring it out of him." Caroline smiled. "Well I should probably go hunt Stefan down." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder.

Elena nodded and looked over her shoulder. "Yeah I should probably get back to Damon…I kinda left him hanging." She giggled.

"See ya!" Caroline raised her brows and sped into the forest.

Elena closed the down and headed back up to Damon's room. She saw him leaning against the padded headboard reading 'The Coral Island'. She canted her head to the side, her hair framing her face. "So you're gonna read now?" she smirked, slowly undoing the buttons.

Damon swung his eyes to her before reluctantly bringing them back to the pages in front of him. "You were busy." He replied flatly. He wasn't really mad at her, but it was fun to act like he was.

Elena let the shirt hang open as she crawled onto the bed and straddled his waist. She pulled the book out of his hands and placed it on the nightstand. "I'm sorry. I should have never opened the door." She kissed him and whispered against his lips. "You were right." Damon nibbled at her bottom lip. "Forgive me?"

Damon grabbed the back of her head, and caressed his tongue with hers fervently. "Yup."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Stefan furrowed his brows when he heard a knock at the door. The only people that knew he was here was Elena and Damon, and he didn't think they would just show up. He got off the couch and answered the door.

Caroline stood on the other side with a bright smile. "Hi!"

"Caroline. How are you?"

She shrugged. "Okay I guess…now that all that Elena/Damon drama is over." He laughed rolling her eyes up. When Stefan frowned in concern she waved her hand in dismissal. "Oh, don't worry about it, they worked it out. Anyways, I came here to see you." She stepped through the door when Stefan opened the door wider.

"Is something wrong?" he sat next to her on the couch.

She shook her head. "Nope, I just wanted to hang. I've been feeling kinda lonely lately." She murmured looking down at her hands. Stefan nodded knowingly. "It's just now with Elena spending all her time at the Boarding House, and Matt avoiding me, and Bonnie doing her magic thing." She sighed and looked at him. "You were like my bonding buddy, and when you left I had no one. No one to talk to or learn from…it sucked." She pouted.

Stefan laughed…actually laughed. "Yeah, that's gotta suck." He overemphasized a frown.

Caroline mouth dropped open in shock. "Are you mocking me Stefan Salvatore?"

"A little bit, yeah." He smiled. "But I'm back now, so you can have your bonding buddy back, how does that sound?" he suggested with a bantering tone.

She beamed. "Really good." She jumped up from the couch. "Let's get out of here. Let's go running or something!" she suggested eagerly. "I have all this energy and I want to _use_ it!" she laughed excitedly.

Stefan stood gazed at her for a while. "Do you wanna learn how to fight?"

Caroline's eyes lit up.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena looped her arm around Damon's and linked their hands. "It's gonna be fine, Damon."

"She hates me, Elena…knowing that we're together now is going to make her hate me _more_." Damon grumbled as they walked up the steps to Elena's porch.

Elena pulled him to stop and placed a hand on his chest. "Then she'll have to get over it. I love you, and when she sees that, she'll back off." Damon gave her an 'as if' look. "It's not gonna be instant…but she will, trust me." Elena leaned up to kiss him before continuing up the porch.

Elena walked through the door, bringing Damon in with her, their hands still linked. "Aunt Jenna?" she called out.

"In the kitchen!" she called back.

The new couple walked into the kitchen to see Jenna and Alaric making dinner, laughing and playing around. "Hey, Ric." Elena greeted.

Alaric turned and so did Jenna. "Oh hey Elena, Damon…" He looked down at their joined hands awkwardly. "This is new…" he mumbled to himself.

Jenna raised a brow and quirked her mouth to the side in dissatisfaction. "Damon…Elena didn't tell me you were coming." She grumbled, wiping her hands on a dish towel.

Elena glared at her Aunt. "We didn't think we had to. This is my house too." Damon gripped her hand tighter in a show of support.

Jenna laughed bitterly, looking up at the ceiling. "Really? Could have had me fooled with the way you're _never_ here!"

Elena rolled her eyes. "Can we not do this? We didn't come here to start a fight with you." Damon desperately wanted to say something, and put Jenna in her place but he knew Elena had to handle it.

Jenna looked puzzled. "What's with all this 'we' talk? You and Damon are a 'we' now?" she crossed her arms glaring him down.

"It's more than that, Aunt Jenna…I love him." She declared solidly. "And he loves me too."

Jenna rolled her eyes, and Alaric uncomfortably left the room. "You _actually_ believe that?" Damon frowned angrily and was about to say something when Jenna cut him off. "I have dated so many guys like you Damon. Guys that say what we want to hear just to get what they want…and the second they get it, they're gone."

Damon fought to keep his voice calm. "You think you know me, _Jenna_? You don't. You only know who I want you to know. I _love_ Elena…more than anything. I would _never _hurt her. I'm a better person because of Elena…now look at me and tell me you don't believe that." Damon spoke with all honesty and sincerity, and it showed in his face, and in his voice.

Jenna sighed as she took in his words. Jenna was too proud to apologize just yet so she changed the subject. "Elena can you set the table…dinner's almost ready."

The rest of the evening was filled with awkward conversation and tense silence. Elena tried to break the tension but it was useless.

As they were walking back to the car Damon spoke. "She still hates me." He sung out.

"She doesn't hate you Damon…she believed you, you were very believable, but she's just too proud to admit she was wrong just yet. She'll come around." They got in the car and headed towards the Boarding House.

Damon was quiet for a while before glancing at her briefly. "I want her to like me." He uttered softly, hating that he actually cared what Jenna thought of him.

Elena smiled brightly. "And she will…I promise. She did once, and she will again."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Icarus smirked as he past the Entering Mystic Falls sign. He never intended on coming back here…but the world worked in mysterious ways. Her whole existence was against nature. She was never supposed to be in the first place. So Icarus vowed that he would take it upon himself to rid his kind of the threat of the doppelganger.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Author's Note: Yay! Another chapter up! Hope you like it, and now we're got a new whatever he is to complicate things! I'm adding another character next chapter too! Please review!


	16. New Girl in Town

Chapter 16: New Girl in Town

The couple pulled into the Boarding House driveway after Damon picked Elena up from school. He got out of the driver's seat and closed the door of his Camero before speeding around to Elena's door. He opened it for her before she even got the seatbelt off.

"That never stops surprising me." She commented taking the hand he offered.

Damon frowned. "What? You can't imagine me being a gentleman…I _did_ live out the 19th century."

Elena linked her hand with his as they walked up the small path. "Not that, how fast you are. I barely had time to blink and there you are." She smiled up at him lovingly.

"Does it bother you?" he wagged a brow before rushing to her other side. She whipped around when he tapped on her shoulder.

She smacked his chest playfully. "No. I'm just not totally use to it yet." She watched the lighthearted expression fall from his face, as he blinked and looked around. "What is it, Damon?" He took in a deep breath and cocked his head to the side. "Damon?"

He shook himself out of it, and smiled down at her again. "Nothing, its okay…just go inside, I'll be right in." When he saw the determination cross her face he kissed her. "It's okay…no danger. I promise."

Elena sighed and reluctantly nodded. "Okay…I'll be upstairs." She walked through the door, and threw her book bag haphazardly to the side before rushing upstairs. Something was up, and she wanted to know what. She knew Damon could take care of himself, but she knew when something was off.

Damon looked around in confusion. He smelt something familiar…something he couldn't quite put his finger on. He knew this scent, why couldn't he place it? He was about to head inside when he heard it.

"So I kept asking myself: where could he be? _Why_ would he leave me all alone to fend for myself in this big, scary world?" a light melodic voice traveled to his ears from behind him. "And here you are…home of all places!" she laughed.

Damon whipped around and grinned broadly. "Lucia! What the hell are you doing here?" he sped up to her and pulled her tightly in his arms. She laughed happily hugging him back.

She rolled her eyes and pulled away. "Well duh! To see my most favorite man in the entire world, why else?" she smiled sincerely. "I've missed you, Damon."

Damon raised his eye brow. "I bet you say that to all the boys." He teased. The truth was he missed her too.

She looked so different. Her once long shiny black hair was cut to a cute bob that touched her shoulders. She clearly was out of her leather stage and dotted a long white flowy skirt, a red tank top with a white shrug overtop. Lucia shrugged. "Nope! Just the ones I spend half a century with." She gave him a perplexed glance, and then looked at the Boarding House. "What are _you_ doing here? I thought you hated this place…"

Damon kept his face guarded. "I had my reasons."

Lucia nodded, pursing her lips together. "Uh huh. I see you reconciled with Katherine." She circled him and pointed up to Damon's bedroom window. "She's creepily stalking us from afar." She whispered with a hand to the side of her mouth.

Damon looked up and saw Elena quickly move away. He smiled. "That's not Katherine…Her name is Elena, she's her 'doppelganger'." Damon stated using quotation marks.

Lucia's eyes lit up in curiosity. "Weird! Are you playing with her? Is she you're new toy?" she bounced on the balls of her feet a little and clapped her hands together in excitement.

Damon scowled at her. "No, she's…my girlfriend." The words felt different coming off his lips. He didn't think he ever used them before.

Lucia blinked her bright green eyes in shock. "Damon Salvatore has a girlfriend?" she tilted her head to the side, and looked up. "Did the world just stop spinning?" she asked him with a serious face.

Damon crossed his arms and faked a laugh. "You're funny. Trust me, I'm surprised too."

"So, does she know?" Damon looked at her blankly, waiting for her to expand. "About you being all 'grrr'." She let her fangs descend and her veins pop out for added effect.

Damon nodded. "Yes, she knows everything."

Lucia linked her arm with his and led him up to the door. "We'll touch more on this later…" she poked him in the gut. "But first things first…is Buzz Killington here?" she asked, her voice filled with scorn.

Damon laughed as they walked into the parlor. "Yes, Stefan's in Mystic Falls, but he's not staying here." He poured a drink and offered it to her.

Lucia grabbed it and took a long sip. "Thank God! He was always so _broody_ with his whole 'I'm a tortured vampire, my life sucks' act." She mimicked Stefan's voice rolling her eyes skyward. "If I hear him say 'you can't do that, it's wrong' one more time I _think_ I might kill myself." She plopped down on the couch and crossed her legs.

Damon sat down next to her nursing his own drink. "He's not quite so bad anymore. He's tolerable…somewhat." He took a sip.

"So, how's Zack? Is he still living here?" she narrowed her eyes when Damon winced. "You killed him, didn't you?" Her voice was flat in acceptance.

Damon got defensive. "He _locked_ me in a cellar filled with vervain! I was fuming when I got out, and he was there."

Lucia glared at him. "I'm sure you deserved it."

Damon frowned and looked into his drink. "I regret it now…but I didn't care about anything then."

The brunette rubbed her forehead in agitation. "He was our last _living_ relative, Damon."

"I'm sorry, I fucked up…again." He smirked a little bitterly. He glanced up when Elena slowly walked down the stairs.

Lucia looked at her in amazement. "Wow…" she whispered quietly. It was uncanny their resemblance.

Damon stood and strode towards Elena, who was looking at Lucia uncomfortably. "Elena…I want you to meet someone." He placed a hand on her lower back and she immediately relaxed. "This is Lucia…my kid sister." he smirked when she sped up and punched him in the arm. "Ow." He rubbed his upper arm.

Lucia laughed prettily. "Yeah, always the kid sister…forever sixteen. Ugh that sucks." She joked. "It's nice to meet you Elena." He held out her hand and Elena took it.

She blinked in surprise. "I didn't know you had a sister, Damon." She smiled, happy that the girl her boyfriend seemed so excited to see earlier was family, not an old flame. "Wow…it's nice to meet you too." She turned to Damon. "How is it that all three Salvatore's turned into vampires?" she half teased. She was really blown by the fact that she was never mentioned.

"We fell in love wrong kinda…people." Lucia hinted with a wink.

Elena furrowed her brow, and crossed her arms. "Why didn't you guys tell me you had a sister? I mean I know that a lot has been going on, but I would have at least thought Stefan would bring it up."

Both of them laughed. "Yeah right!" Lucia scoffed. "Stefan can't stand me...he was always the mediator while Damon and I were the wild ones. To Stefan I'm probably just a bad memory." Lucia finished her drink.

_Mystic Falls 1864_

_Stefan watched Damon laughing and running around with Lucia through the maze in the back. It was always the two of them and him on the sidelines. He didn't agree with their idea of fun; like pulling pranks on the stable boys, or enjoying full days at the swimming hole when they knew Father didn't approve with Franklin Fell calling to court her. _

_She ignored and declined all his offers despite Father's urges on her. She was young, she would claim, and that there was much more fun to be had before she was to even think of marriage. _

"_Lucia!" he called out, but was dismissed. "Damon…Father wants us ready to greet our new guest. She'll be arriving shortly." His voice was stern and held no room for disagreement._

"_Why must you always cut short our fun? Damon and I were enjoying ourselves." She pulled up her skirts and walked up to the porch that Stefan stood on with his hands behind his back. Damon followed._

"_Yes brother…fun. Have you heard of it?" Damon joked, placing a hand on his shoulder._

"_It is important that we make her feel welcome, she's come a long way." Stefan turned to Lucia as they entered their home. "Mr. Fell called on you again."_

_Lucia sighed begrudgingly. "You would think he would have gotten the hint by now." _

_Stefan frowned. "Father wants you to be married by the end of the month; he is urging Franklin to continue his pursuit of you."_

_Lucia spun around to glare at her brother. "I do not wish him to pursue me Stefan. I am still a child…I would like to enjoy it while it lasts. I wish you would support me as Damon does." She rushed off inot her room. _

_Damon put an arm around Stefan. "Do not take it personally…she is unhappy with Father for not giving her the choice. She is only days away from her sixteenth year…her shoulders are feeling heavy with the pressure. It will pass." Damon tried to comfort him brother. _

_Stefan smiled bitterly. "She feels nothing but contempt for me, Damon. I try to take care of her, and she only pushes me farther away, whereas she takes pleasure in your company." _

"_You are trying too much to be her Father, dear brother. She has one…be her friend." Damon clapped him on the shoulder before heading to his own room to change. _

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Jenna sat staring at the TV with a frown. She wasn't really watching it, too busy thinking about other things.

"You okay?" Alaric asked grabbing her hand.

"Do you believe it?" she asked skeptically.

Alaric knew what she was talking about. "I believe Damon truly loves Elena. I saw it even before the other day." He admitted.

Jenna huffed. "I don't like him! Why does she have to love a guy that I don't like?" she asked rhetorically. "I mean really?"

Ric laughed and pulled her into his arms. "You can't choose who you fall in love with…I know I didn't." he stated kissing the top of her head.

"Well you and Isobel-" Jenna started.

"I wasn't talking about Isobel." He clarified, before kissing her thoroughly.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Stefan and Caroline circled each other in a clearing in the woods. Both of them had their fangs bared but a smile graced their faces instead of a sneer. Caroline made the first move and lunged at him in seconds. She pinned him to the ground but Stefan flipped them over quickly.

Caroline struggled under him for a minute before kicking him off of her and sending him a good ten feet away. "You thought you had me didn't you?" she taunted flipping her hair out of her eyes.

Stefan sped back up to her and stopped less than an inch away from her face. She gasped slightly. "I let you do that." He gave her a lopsided smirk.

She rolled her eyes and cocked her hip out. "Yeah right." She threw a blur of punches that Stefan blocked quickly. She grabbed his arm and threw him over her shoulder so he landed flat on his back. He moaned a little and Caroline pinned him down from her straddled position over him. When he lifted slightly she pushed him back down. "You give?" she asked her hair falling around her face.

Stefan smirked and flipped them quickly. "Nope." He watched in curiosity as she panted unnecessarily. She was pretty…even with her hair spread out on the ground, a couple of leaves stuck in her blonde locks.

Caroline didn't know what to do with him staring at her like that. She had to admit, it gave her butterflies. "So are you gonna keep me pinned here all day?" she asked in a way of breaking the silence.

Stefan tilted his head to the side a little. "I'm thinking about it." Caroline laughed nervously but stopped when Stefan didn't make a sound, he just kept staring at her. He looked at a spot above her head and pulled out a leave from her hair. He leaned down and kissed her softly. It last all of three seconds before he was off her and leaning against a tree about five feet away.

She wanted to say something but she didn't know what. She got off the ground and stared at him with confused eyes. Stefan was smiling, and then he ran off into the woods. She rolled her eyes and smiled too, chasing after him.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Icarus knocked on the door of a house a couple blocks away from Elena's. They house was nice enough…it would do until he could find a more permanent residence. He saw the woman that answered the door look at him in appraisement.

He knew he was good looking. A Greek God some would say. A lean chiseled body, strong defined jaw and full lips. His eyes were dark and intense, and his hair was a chestnut brown.

"Hello…I'm sorry to bother you." He slathered up the charm. He smiled and the woman smiled back brightly.

"You're not bothering me at all. Was there something I could do for you?" So eager to please…he was barely trying.

Icarus took a step closer to the door, leaving a little space between them. He towered over her. "Yes, actually…I have a favor to ask you." His voice was deep and quiet. She nodded looking up at him expectantly. He placed his hands on either side of her face and twisted quickly and viciously. He let her body fall to the ground in a heap, stepping over her and crouching down to her level, her dead eyes staring back at him. "Can I borrow your house?" he asked, before chuckling.

Icarus grabbed her arm and stood, pulling it carelessly out of the hall before shutting the door.

Author's Note: So I decided to add that little part in with Jenna and Alaric just to show a little bit of their relationship…I like that couple, so I might add to it a bit along the way. So Damon and Stefan have a sister, and she likes Damon more! I was excited about writing out her character…someone Damon can relate to and be open with besides Elena. And who the hell is Icarus and what is he? Also incase you were wondering Lucia's name is pronounced Loo-chi-a. Not Loo-cee-a. Not really important, but it would bug me if I didn't mention it lol. Enjoy and review!

P.S: More flashbacks to come…I love flashbacks!


	17. The Fight

Author's Note: thank you to all the people that reviewed! You guys are awesome. I threw up another chapter for you, I hope you like it and please review and tell me what you think!

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Chapter 17: The Fight

_Mystic Falls 1864_

_The table was silent as Giuseppe his sons, daughter and Katherine ate. It was clear that the air was tense. _

"_Thank you for inviting me to stay, Mr. Salvatore." Katherine showed her appreciation politely._

_Giuseppe smiled. "You are quite welcome, Miss. Pierce. We are all happy to have you." _

_Katherine delicately placed her fork down. "And I am happy to be here." She locked eyes with Stefan over the table. "You have lovely gardens; perhaps your son would be kind enough to give me a tour?"_

_Lucia noticed as Katherine's eyes swung from Stefan to Damon. "Which one Miss. Katherine?" her voice was sweet and innocent but Giuseppe knew better. _

"_Lucia…" he scolded warningly. "I'm sure Stefan would be honored to show you around." He offered for him, completely disregarding Damon._

_Damon looked down at his plate and tightened his jaw. _

"_Absolutely, Miss. Pierce." Stefan agreed happily. _

"_Please, call me Katherine." She said in a flirty tone. _

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._

_Damon escorted Lucia out to the garden, while Stefan escorted Katherine through the paths in front of them. _

"_She's interesting." Lucia commented, looking up at her brother. _

"_She is…only Father would not approve of my interest as he does Stefan's." Damon watched his brother with jealousy. _

_Lucia stopped walking and pulled him to a halt with her. "Father is a fool…he cares not of me or you or Stefan. He thinks only of his reputation and status. You should not take heed to what he says, I don't." Lucia laughed pulled up her skirts skipping her way through the path. _

_Damon caught up to Katherine and Stefan, and fell into step beside Katherine. "She's a free spirit." Katherine mused with a smile as they watched Lucia frolic by herself. _

_Damon smiled charmingly. "She takes after her older brother." His grin widened when she smiled sweetly at him. _

"_I'm sure she does." Her eyes flirted discreetly. Lucia ran back to join her brother's and Katherine. "Let you and me take a walk…just us girls." Lucia nodded and continued through the path with Katherine looking back once at the brothers._

_Both boys were silent fro a while, watching the girls walk in front of them. "Father is planning her wedding to Franklin Fell." Stefan stated linking his hands behind his back._

_Damon frowned at looked at him incredulously. "But he has barely courted her." _

"_That's of no concern to him." _

"_And do you agree?" Damon questioned angrily. _

_Stefan nodded. "Yes." When Damon scoffed and shook his head he continued. "She needs to learn that she cannot live with endless boundaries, Damon. She cannot stay a child forever!"_

_Damon rounded on his brother. "No, but she is still a child!" he hissed. "She shouldn't have to be subjected to the demands Franklin will make of her as his wife." He took a moment to calm himself. "She is our sister, Stefan." _

_Damon stormed back towards the house leaving Stefan standing there on his own._

"_I was a lot like you when I was you're age." Katherine told Lucia gracing her with a small smile. "A free spirit; living by no rules but my own. Its fun isn't it?" _

_Lucia nodded. "I would much rather get my hands dirty than struggle to breathe in a corset." Both girls giggled._

"_Me too." Katherine admitted honestly. "You know…there is a way out; a way to a whole other world." She proposed mischievously. Lucia looked at her with curiosity and interest. "Of course it would mean giving up all that's important to you." She said offhandedly. _

"_There's not much." Lucia admitted sadly. _

"_What of you brothers?" Katherine questioned, her brows furrowed._

"_Well Damon of course…he's my best friend. But Stefan doesn't understand me at all. He means well but…" she trailed off on a sigh._

"_Will you tell me about them?" Katherine asked linking her arm with Lucia's. She wanted to learn all she could about this family, and she wanted to keep up appearances as much as possible. She didn't much care for this heart to heart, but if it would get the girl to talk then she would deal…by all means necessary._

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The next morning Damon took Elena to school, saying that he and Lucia were gonna spend the day catching up, and he'd pick her up after school. Damon walked through the door after dropping her off and strolled into the kitchen to grab some blood.

Lucia was sitting on the corner part of the counter with a mug of blood in her hands. "Hope you don't mind, I helped myself." She smiled brightly. Damon grabbed a bag and drank straight out of the IV tube. "God Damon…it's not a cocktail."

He grinned around the tube, leaning against the island, looking at her.

"So Elena…" she trailed off taking a sip from the mug.

Damon rolled his eyes and tossed the empty blood bag in the sink. "I thought we dropped this."

"Only temporarily. She looks identical to Katherine…explain!" She flicked her bangs out of her eyes.

Damon crossed his arms and shrugged. "Elena is Katherine's doppelganger and a direct descendant…it's a thing." He said with a wave of his hand.

Lucia nodded. "Does she know about Katherine?" she bumped her heels against the lower cabinets.

"Yeah…They've met. Please stop doing that." He kept his eyes trained on her feet.

Lucia kept it up for a litter longer to piss him off. "They've met? That's crazy…how is she still alive?" she knew how dangerous Katherine was first hand.

"Self preservation. She needed help and so did we…we had a common enemy."

She nodded slowly taking another gulp of her blood, wiping the corner of her mouth. "Huh…and it's not because she looks like-"

Damon shook his head. "That's not why I'm with Elena. I was curious at first…but the truth is Stefan met her first." Damon said begrudgingly.

Lucia arched her brow high. "Wow. History really is repeating." She hopped off the counter finishing the blood before putting it in the sink.

"Except I got the girl in the end." Damon grinned.

She leaned by the sink across from him. "But isn't it weird? I mean they look _exactly-_"

"No." Damon stated strongly. "They are completely different. Elena is sweet and loving and selfless. She's nothing like Katherine, even on her bad days." He chuckled in memory of the time Elena would stand off with him in a heated debate.

His sister smiled fondly. She dug around in her purse briefly, pulling out a pack of smokes. She lit one quickly; ignoring Damon's scrunched up face and wave of his hand. "Look at you." She exhaled a stream of grey smoke. "All hung up on this girl. She must be good in bed." she took a puff and laughed at him with her eyes.

Damon faked a laugh. "Yes, but I fell in love with her long before that." His face turned serious. "She understands me, Lucia. She knows how to get around the walls I put up after Katherine. She believes in me."

Lucia looked hard at him. "Who _are_ you? I mean, I'm not complaining but I've never see you like this…even when you were human." It was like looking at the same person she always knew, but someone else was talking. It was crazy.

Damon shrugged and avoided her eyes out of nervousness. "People change."

Lucia scoffed and took a drag. "Yeah…a hundred and fifty years later."

"Why do you smoke those things…they're nasty." Damon's lip curled up.

Lucia shrugged. "Um, well first of all…they're not gonna kill me, I'm already dead, and two it helps with the cravings. I'm not used to staying in a small town like this where people would notice a body or two. I gotta keep to the bagged stuff while I'm here and I needed a vice…so sue me." She took another long drag before putting it out in the sink. "So why isn't Stefan here?"

Damon headed for the parlor and Lucia grabbed her purse and followed behind him. "Long story short: Elena broke up with him, he went _crazy_ and started drinking human blood-which you know is not a part of his daily diet-killed someone then left town to try and 'find himself'. Elena's been staying here, might be weird for him." He grabbed himself a glass and noticed his scotch decanter was nearly empty. "Well that sucks." He pouted a little in disappointment.

Lucia nodded. "Yes it does…I say we grab a drink somewhere. I wanna have a little fun!"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Of course you do…but you can't have too much fun." He told her seriously.

She crossed her arms and cocked her hip. "And why not? Last time I check I was old enough to make my own decisions."

Damon stepped closer and placed his hands on her shoulders. "The Council is still around and they've got half the town wearing or ingesting vervain. Being careless could mean exposing yourself and getting a stake through the heart." He poked her lightly in the chest.

She sighed in understanding. "How do they not suspect you? How do you and Stefan blend in here?" They walked out the door towards Damon's car.

"I'm in the Council, just to keep up appearances and to get a heads up with what their plans are and Stefan enrolled in high school…again." Damon peeled out of the driveway and headed towards town.

"Figures." She scoffed. It wasn't long before they were outside the Grill. Damon opened the door and a dark haired guy bumped into him on his way out. It seemed a little forced and Damon looked back at the tall guy walking out to the parking lot. "Drop it, Damon…" she warned him. "No need to get all macho and prove yourself. You'd win and he'd be weeping like a baby." Lucia's voice carried a bored inflection. She was used to talking him down. They headed straight to the bar and sat down. "Vodka martini straight up."

The bartender looked at her in disbelief as he wiped his hands on a towel. "Sorry sweetie can't serve you that. How bout a Shirley temple?" he laughed out.

Damon smirked when Lucia leaned across the bar a little. "I said a Vodka martini straight up." Her eyes caught his, and she smiled when he nodded.

"You got it." He grinned and moved quickly getting her drink ready.

Damon ordered a scotch as usual and when she got her drink she sipped it slowly. "So I missed a lot huh?"

"Yeah and I didn't even tell you about Klaus and the Originals yet." He grinned tightly when her eyes bugged out and she put her glass down.

"Wait, Klaus? As in the Urban Legend?" she asked in uncertainty.

Damon nodded, and took a sip. "Yeah he's real…and rotting away in the tomb under Fell's church." He waggled his brows.

Lucia's mouth hung open her lips playing a small smile. "No. Fucking. Way…"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena sat at a picnic table in the courtyard with Bonnie, telling her about Damon's sister. "She's really nice, Bonnie…and her and Damon are so close. He seemed so excited to see her." Bonnie looked past her to see Damon sauntering over. Bonnie nodded behind her, and Elena turned around and smiled and she stood up.

Bonnie smiled tightly at him. "I'm gonna go…I'll see you later Elena." She felt a little uncomfortable around Damon after his drunken admission.

Elena nodded, and met Damon halfway, appraising his attire. He wore his black jeans, tight black t shirt, and a pair of aviator shades covering his eyes. "Hey." She leaned up to kiss him. "I thought you were spending the day with Lucia."

Damon sighed. "Yeah she ditched me…let's go." He grabbed Elena's hand and tried to lead her to the parking lot.

Elena laughed and pulled away. "What? Damon I still have three more classes."

Damon turned back to her and pulled down his shades so she could see his eyes. "So? There are so many more interesting things we can do." He wagged his brows with a sly grin.

Elena narrowed her gaze and smirked. "Don't tempt me. I can't afford to take anymore time off school." She wanted to skip and spend the rest of the day with him, but she was already failing a couple of classes.

Damon furrowed his brow and placed his hands on either side of her neck. "Elena…I'm not _asking_ you to miss school…I'm _telling_ you to." He informed her firmly.

Elena gave him a look of concern and spoke quietly. "Is something wrong? What happened?"

Damon rolled his eyes and pulled away to cross his arms. "Nothing happened…there's no reason to be so dramatic. God, why is everything so doom and gloom with you?" he asked harshly.

Elena glared at him. "Um I don't know, maybe because that's all I've known since you and Stefan barged into my life!" she barked back. She knew it was only a matter of time before they would have their first fight…it's what they were best at.

Damon ran a hand over his face and groaned in annoyance. "I don't need this right now, Elena. We're going?" He grabbed her arm and pulled, and she nearly fell off her feet.

"Damon! Let go of me…you're making a scene." She hissed trying to pull herself out of his grasp.

Damon turned around to stare her down with his ice blue orbs. "And I'll make an even bigger one if you don't shut your mouth." He muttered darkly.

Elena looked at him in disbelief and a little fear. "What's wrong with you? Are you hearing yourself?" she continued to struggle but he didn't let go.

Damon smiled softly, and ran a hand down her cheek. "Nothing's wrong with me babe. It's you that's wrong." He whispered in her ear.

"Damon!" Alaric stormed over with an angry look on his face. A bunch of people were watching the scene unfolding before them. Once Ric reached them he got in Damon's face. "Let her go."

Damon smirked. "Or what?"

"Or I'll stake you." He stated confidently.

Damon blinked a couple of times, not affected by Alaric's threat. "I'd kill you before you could do that." He replied cockily.

"Then I'd come back and try again. I've been cutting you a break because Elena asked me to, but I'm not afraid to end your existence if I have to." The two men continued to stare each other down, while Elena looked between them, afraid of what was going to happen.

Damon swung his eyes down to Elena giving her a tight smile. "Elena…we'll talk later." He kissed her forehead and walked away leaving Elena there starting at him in confusion.

Alaric turned her to look at him and searched her face. "Are you okay?"

She blinked a couple of times, before nodding. "Yeah, I'm fine. Something's wrong." She looked in the direction Damon headed in but saw that he was gone.

Alaric scoffed and crossed his arms. "Yeah in his head! Why would Damon do that?"

Elena shook her head. "That wasn't Damon."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Caroline headed to her car after school let out, and saw Stefan leaning against her car. She smiled and walked over to him. "Hey!"

"Hey…I was wondering if you wanted to continue our sparring match." He opened the door for her politely.

"Yeah! Get in." Stefan got in the passenger seat and Caroline drove them to the entrance of the woods, and ran from there.

They ran and weaved through the trees, trading blows and jabs. Caroline pinned him to a tree but he quickly flipped them. "You're getting good." Stefan complimented with a smile.

"Thanks." She rasped nervously. Stefan's face was inches from her. She didn't know what he was thinking as he looked at her but she was going to find out. "Okay, so what is this?" Stefan's brow furrowed briefly before smoothing out. "Are the lessons really just lessons because we're having fun and then all of a sudden I'm pinned under you and you give me those eyes, and then you kissed me and I'm a little confused about what you what-" she rambled not exactly meeting his eyes.

"Caroline." He stopped her gracing her with a smile. "I'm sorry if I'm not being clear. I like you…I enjoy your company. And the lessons _are_ lessons, but also an excuse to see you." He confirmed shyly.

The blonde smiled sweetly. "You don't need an excuse, you know."

Stefan nodded, and leaned in closer to her. "I know." His kissed her tenderly weaving his hand in her hair, as Caroline melted against him.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Author's Note: I hope you like that chapter, I love writing flashbacks, more to come by the way in the next chapter. I hope everyone is okay with the Stefan/Caroline pair up because yes it is happening. So did anyone buy that stunt that Damon pulled? What's up with him? Next chapter will disclose it, I promise!


	18. Dead to You

Chapter 18: Dead to You

Elena opened her locker to grab her things after school. She stayed a little late to talk to Alaric about the incident with Damon earlier. What the hell was wrong with him? Damon would never talk to her like that, especially after their newfound relationship.

She sighed and closed her locker, gasping when she saw Damon leaning casually on the other side. "God, Damon you scared me."

He smirked and moved to kiss her but she backed away. He frowned. "I've been waiting outside for half an hour, what took you? Did you have detention?" he teased.

Elena turned her eyes away from him and stepped around him to head down the hall, knowing he'd follow her. "No."

Damon fell in step beside her. "Okay clearly something is wrong, because you're ignoring all my charming advances." He was shocked when Elena shrugged his arm off her shoulders. "Elena…did I do something to piss you off?" he asked vulnerably.

Elena rolled her eyes. "Other than make a scene in front of the entire student body, treating me like the dirt under your boots, and threatening to kill Alaric…no nothing at all." She stated sarcastically.

Damon tugged on her arm gently to stop her. "Okay I'm missing something here…is this a _recent_ sin your accusing me of?" he searched her angry face for answers.

"If you call this afternoon recent." She bit out pulling her arm out of his grasp, wincing when his fingers gripped the bruises still marking her arm.

Damon looked down at her arm and noticed the bruises, barely containing his rage. "Who did this to you?"

"You did!" Elena tears started to form in her eyes. "Please let me go Damon…I'm still mad at you."

Damon was utterly perplexed. "For what? I didn't see you this afternoon, Elena. I was with Lucia all day." He explained, suddenly worried about what happened in his absence.

Elena narrowed her eyes in confusion. "You said Lucia ditched you."

Damon shook his head. "No I didn't…she's sitting in the car waiting for us. Elena what happened today?" Damon tried to keep the panic out of his voice as he leveled his gaze with hers.

Elena told him how he came to the school, and demanded that she leave with him. She told him how he spoke to her so harshly and called her 'wrong', and how he threatened to kill Alaric if he tried to stop him.

Damon's eyes were wide with disbelief, and fury. "That wasn't me Elena." He looked around the empty school before grabbing her hand. "We have to go." They ran to the car, ignoring Lucia's complaints of them taking so long and headed back to the Boarding House.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Damon, Elena, Lucia and Alaric all sat in the living room brainstorming what they thought they were dealing with.

"How is that even possible, someone walking, talking, looking _exactly _like you?" Lucia asked both her and Elena watching Damon pace in front of them.

"I don't know." He grumbled.

Elena stood and stepped in front of him stopping his nervous pacing. "Damon, we'll figure this out…maybe we need to talk to someone that has a little knowledge about this stuff." Damon knew that she was talking about Isobel and so did Alaric.

Alaric nodded. "I could contact her…" he offered and pulled out his phone when Elena nodded. He moved into the other room to make the phone call and Elena wrapped her arms around Damon's waist, resting her head on his chest. The teacher came back into the room a few minutes later. "She's on her way."

Lucia jumped up. "I'm not really the research type…I'll go into town, see if I can find any Damon shaped people walking around. I'll call you if I come up with anything." Lucia sped out the door without another word.

About ten minutes later, Alaric looked through books while Elena sat next to Damon leaning her head on his shoulder and running her hand up and down his back soothingly. He was looking at the floor like it held all the answers.

"We'll figure this out…what ever it is." She repeated again. Finally she was the one doing the reassuring.

Damon smirked, but it seemed empty. "Maybe I have a doppelganger too."

"Don't joke about this." She said seriously.

Damon sighed and looked at her. "Are you sure you can handle seeing Isobel?" he knew it was hard the last time.

Elena nodded. "She may have left me Damon, but she's still my mother. I can't _not _talk to her forever."

Damon smiled lovingly. "Ah, pulling out the double negative…a milder way of beating around the bush." He tried to distract himself from the seriousness of the situation. "You want to know her…I understand." Elena smiled back and kissed him. "If she pisses you off…all you have to do is say the word." He rested his forehead against hers, her scent around him calming him down.

They heard a clicking of heels coming inot the living room. "Well this is new." She took in the sight of Elena and Damon with a grim smile. "Katherine told me to expect a surprise, but this was not what I was expecting." She glanced at Alaric and smiled. "Hello Ric."

He didn't say anything he just nodded once.

Damon and Elena stood and faced Isobel. "So I see you chose Damon…I knew you would." She chuckled.

Elena crossed her arms and steeled her gaze on her mother. "We didn't call you here to discuss my love life. We have questions." She stated firmly.

Isobel canter her head to the side. "I figured this wasn't a social call." She waited for them to continue.

"Someone is walking around town looking like Damon." Elena started. "and not just similar…identical to him. He approached me today. He made a big deal about wanting me to go somewhere with him." She explained.

Isobel shrugged offhandedly. "It could be a glamour."

Damon frowned. "Who would be capable of that?"

"Someone with a lot of power. A warlock maybe." She suggested. "The only other thing that would be capable of taking over someone's form is a shapeshifter."

"Never heard of it." Damon claimed.

Isobel gave him a look of impatience. "That's because they're rare and virtually undetectable. They can shift into any living or breathing thing."

Damon smiled sarcastically. "Well I'm not living _or_ breathing."

Isobel rolled her eyes skyward. "And yet you exist."

Elena sighed and sucked her bottom lip nervously. "We should be able to tell them apart, though right? Damon has his ring." She pointed out with hope.

Isobel shrugged. "That's true…but we can't count on that. Shapeshifters have remarkable abilities. Not only can they use your body, but they can use your mind too. If it makes physical contact with a host it can remember your memories as you do. It can be anything it wants, so be wary of everyone." She declared, looking at Elena with contained worry etching her face.

Lucia waltzed through the door; calling out to them as she entered the living room. "So that was a total bust…whoever this guy is went in hiding for the night." She stopped when she saw Isobel turn around to face her. "What the hell is she doing here?" she glared at the other woman speeding right up to her until she was an inch away from her face.

Isobel didn't move at all. "Lucia." She greeted with a sly smirk.

Elena looked wide-eyed at the scene in front of her. "You know Isobel?"

Lucia's hard gaze never moved from Isobel's as she spoke. "We met about a year ago. I was about to kill John Gilbert but she saved his ass!" she snarled, the veins under her eyes popping out.

Damon lightly nudged me. "See I'm not the only one that wanted to kill him."

Elena stared at him, before looking at Lucia again. "Why did you want to kill John?" she asked curiously.

"Because he killed Harper." She ground out before speeding upstairs.

Everyone looked confused except for Isobel who looked bored and Damon who looked distressed. "What was that all about?"

Isobel shrugged a shoulder. "Don't know, don't care."

Damon looked at the fire burning. "Harper was the vampire that turned her…she was in love with him." He slowly made his way upstairs after his sister, knowing what it was like to lose someone you loved. In her case she probably still did.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Mystic Falls 1864_

_Lucia walked up the hill to the spot she knew Damon would be. It was under a large willow tree that had a great view of the grounds. She could see the stable boys feeding the horses and the servants tending to the gardens. She plopped down next to Damon who was reading._

"_Father says I'll be married by next week." She blurted out. "I completely _loathe_ the idea…but you know father." She huffed. _

_Damon closed the book and turned to her. "I do. If I had it my way you would stay here in your home, unwed…a spinster forever." He teased, laughing when she playfully pushed him. _

"_I would prefer it, actually! The mere thought of Franklin Fell makes me repulsed." She grumbled looking out to the gardens. She caught the gaze of a man starting at her. "Who is that man?" she asked Damon curiously._

_Damon smiled. "Oh that's Harper…he serves Katherine." His smile widened when Katherine was led out to the gardens by Emily._

"_He's staring at me." She commented in awe. She had never had a man so blatantly stare at her…especially a man that was suppose to be below her stature._

_Damon frowned and started to stand. "I'll take care of it immediately."_

_Lucia placed a hand on his arm to stop him, her eyes still trained on the man staring at her. "No need, brother. It's quite alright…it doesn't bother me any." She finally pulled her eyes away to smile at Damon. _

_He nodded and stood, pulling Lucia up to her feet. He glanced back out to the gardens to see Katherine staring at him with lust in her eyes and a flirty smile. "I must be taking my leave of you Lucia. Katherine will be expecting me." He kissed her on the cheek._

_Lucia shook her head. "Both of my brothers wrapped around her finger. Don't you see what she's doing?"_

_Damon gave her a giddy smile. "I love her Lucia…one day you will know what that means." He strolled down the hill and towards Katherine, who offered her hand to him, which he ardently kissed._

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The next few days went by uneventfully. Elena opted to stay at the Boarding House instead of going to school, and Damon never left her side. Isobel vowed to stay close, saying that she would dig up as much as she could.

Elena was a little worried. She hadn't heard from Stefan since he got back, and she hoped everything was okay. She knew Damon was concerned too, even though he would never admit it.

Now Elena lay in bed facing Damon who was sound asleep. He looked so sweet and innocent as he slept; like a little boy. It was great to wake up next to him every morning. She was staying here a lot, and on the nights she did stay at home Damon would wait for her to come upstairs before crawling into bed with her.

"You're staring again." He mumbled with a sly smile that she could barely see, being half covered by the pillow his face was mashed against.

Elena smiled. "I'm gazing."

"It's creepy." He whined teasingly.

"It's romantic." She corrected, leaning forward to kiss him.

Damon pulled her into his arms and spooned her from behind. "Morning beautiful! Mmm…you smell nice." he mumbled into her hair. "Like jasmine and vanilla…

Elena giggled and turned around in his arms and narrowing her gaze. "What do you want?" she asked knowing he was buttering her up.

"Why would you assume that I want something? Can I not compliment my girlfriend?" he asked feigning innocence and disappointment, as he cuddled further into her.

"You can…but not like that, not without wanting something." She told him smiling in victory when he sighed.

"I've gotta head out for a bit." He caught her pout, and rubbed his thumb against her bottom lip. "Are you gonna be okay here?" he asked in concern. He knew she wasn't comfortable without him there. Lucia was there but she was always in and out.

She nodded reluctantly. "Where are you going?"

Damon let his eyes dart away from hers, faking indifference. "Just to check on Stefan…I haven't seen him since he got back." Damon furrowed squinted at her. "Don't give me that look."

Elena grinned. "You miss him." She confirmed.

Damon rolled his eyes and sat up, throwing his legs off the bed. "I don't _miss _him. I just want to make sure that he's handling everything okay." He picked up the jeans that were sitting on a chair in the corner and slipped them on.

Elena sat up holding the sheet to her bare chest, nodding slowly. "You mean if he's handling 'us' okay." She corrected.

Damon pulled a black shirt over his head and sat back on the bed next to her. "Yeah." He ran his fingers up and down her exposed thigh. "You wanna come with me?"

She shook her head. "It's probably best if I don't. You and Stefan need to talk alone."

"Well if everything goes okay maybe I'll bring him back with me. I love you." Damon leaned in to kiss her, and brush a few strands of her hair behind her ear.

Elena gazed at him with loving eyes. "I love you too." She kissed quickly again before he stood up and headed for the door. "Hurry back please."

"Okay." He replied. It was only seconds later when she heard the front door close behind him.

Elena decided to get up and dressed, and to make herself a coffee. She busied herself for the next ten minutes by looking over the books Alaric left here. She heard the front door close and frowned when Damon walked through the door. "Well that was fast." she commented apprehensively.

Damon plopped down in the chair beside her in the kitchen. "Yeah he wasn't there." He said frowning wondering where his brother was.

"Oh." Elena's eyes darted to his left hand and she was relieved to see his ring there.

Damon caught her gaze. "You think I'm him don't you?" he asked sadly.

"Well you got back pretty quick, it was a little suspicious." She explained feeling stupid.

Damon smirked a little. "You asked me to hurry. Plus I turned on my turbo boost." He told her resting his hand over hers on the table.

Elena shook her head, and let her hair frame her face. "Sorry. I shouldn't be so paranoid."

Damon's face soon became one of concern. "Elena I forgot to tell you this morning, I talked to Alaric yesterday and he told me a little more about this shapeshifter stuff." She shifted uncomfortably.

Elena leaned in, in interest. "What did he say?"

"That the longer he's using my body, the worse things are going to get for us." He stated grimly.

Elena shook her head in confusion. "What does that mean, Damon?"

Damon dropped his gaze to the table. "He already knows my thoughts, and my memories; it won't be long before he starts feeling my…emotions." He forced out through a clenched jaw. Elena squeezed his hand with both of hers and smiled comfortingly when he looked up at her. "He's going to feel…what I feel for you." He uttered quietly.

Elena took a deep breath and let it out, trying to calm her now racing heartbeat. "Well that's not scary at all." She stated dryly. Damon didn't laugh or smile though.

He looked her straight in the eye. "I know it's going to be hard and things real suck right now, but with Alaric and Isobel's help we can figure out how to take this thing down okay? I promise." He vowed kissing her forehead.

Elena nodded. "Okay." She whispered.

Damon ran his hand down her cheek. "I love you."

Elena smiled. She loved how he said those words all the time. "I love you too."

He stood up and walked behind her chair, placing his hands on her shoulders and leaning to speak in her ear. "I'm gonna take a shower…wanna join me?"

Elena looked up at him. "I'll be up in a bit." She watched him walk up the stairs and she started putting the books away. Stefan walked into the kitchen and gave her a small smile, shoving his hands in his sweater pockets. "Stefan! Um, Damon was looking for you earlier."

Stefan rolled his eyes humorously. "I know."

Elena's head snapped up when she heard the front door slam. "Elena! You will never believe what I caught Stefan doing…_not _brooding!" he called out as he wandered into the kitchen.

Elena blinked and her heart rate jumped alerting the two vampires in the room. Her chin trembled and her chest started heaving with shuddered breaths as she came to a realization. "Oh my God." She whimpered. Her hand shook as she brought it to her mouth.

Damon was immediately at her side. "What? What's wrong?" he turned her face up to him.

Elena's eyes were wide and held unshed tears. "It was him…I thought he was you. Damon he knows everything! He knows us, he knows about Alaric and Isobel…" she trailed off in shock.

Damon's face was filled with rage, shock and concern. "Where is he?" he snarled, his face changing before her.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Upstairs." She rasped.

Both Damon and Stefan rushed up to Damon's bedroom and into the adjoining bathroom to find the shower running. They both came back downstairs.

Stefan shook his head. "He's gone."

Elena calmed herself before speaking. "He told me something." She started slowly. "He said that the longer he's in your body the worse it's going to get for us. He already has your memories Damon, soon he's going to start feeling you're emotions too, if he hasn't already." Elena stepped close to him so there were only a few inches separating them. "He made a point of letting me know that he would feel for me, what you did." She said quietly afraid on his reaction to that. She felt his entire body tense and could hear the growl rumbling in his chest.

Elena reached for him but he turned away looking at Stefan. "Call Isobel and Bonnie. I'm gonna track him, and kill him." He claimed storming towards the armoire, and grabbing some weapons.

Stefan crossed his arms. "Damon we don't know everything about this guy yet. You can't go into this half-cocked." He exclaimed, watching his brother zip around the house.

"Better half-cocked than not-cocked." He replied.

Elena grabbed his arm as he walked past her. "Stefan's right, Damon. This guy is dangerous!" Her eyes pleaded with him to understand.

His icy blue eyes hardened. "And so am I!" he gently pulled out of her grasp, and continued filling a bag of weapons.

"Damon, please!" Tears threatened to spill onto her cheeks. "Let's just wait this out…" she tried.

Damon sped up to her and looked at her with a mirage of emotions written all over his face; hurt, rage, violation…fear. "And wait for what Elena…another opportunity for him to come after you? No…this ends tonight." He promised strongly before disappearing upstairs.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Lucia sat at a bar twirling her straw around in her drink. She'd been trying so hard to shut off her sadness. The loneliness she felt when she realized she was alone, but seeing Isobel made her think of why she came to Mystic Falls the first time. She had wanted to get Harper out. During their traveling, Damon had mentioned that he planned on finding a way to open the tomb and get Katherine out. Lucia made a promise to herself that she would be there when it happened so she could be with Harper. But things didn't go the way she expected.

He was staying with Pearl and the others. Older vampires that probably blamed her and her family for being locked up for a hundred and fifty years. She couldn't risk it; she would wait until he was on his own before she approached him. But the chance never came. John killed him before she could do that.

She gulped down her drink and thought about the day that changed everything.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Mystic Falls 1864_

_Lucia snuck out of her chambers in the Fell mansion. Her body still ached from giving birth only a few days ago, but she knew she wouldn't have another chance soon. She crept into the nursery, giving her child a quiet and tearful goodbye, before hastily and deftly making her way out into the courtyard where he was waiting. She pulled up her skirts and took his hand as he led her through the woods. _

_She had been feeding from him for the last few days, preparing for this day. Harper was going to turn her. They were going to escape from Jonathan Gilbert, her father and the other council members, and be free to live as they wished. _

_Lucia knew Katherine had planned the same fate for her brothers as well. Harper had filled her in on what Damon had not. _

_There were almost at the clearing before the lake when they stopped. Harper smiled at her lovingly. "I'm glad you came."_

_Lucia touched his dark cheek. "Always." She frowned when he went slack and fell to the ground. Her father stood behind him with a relieved look on his face._

"_Thank the Lord you are okay. You're safe now Lucia." He tried to step closer but she stepped back and tripped over a root. _

"_No…what did you do?" Lucia crawled to him, but he was hoisted up by two men. _

"_Vervain. It is toxic to vampires." Giuseppe explained. "You must hurry home. I can't afford any more of my children getting hurt. _

_Lucia's eyes widened. "Damon and Stefan?" she questioned._

"_Gone…dead." He stated coldly. "They were assisting a vampire in an escape! They were dead to me the moment they decided she was worth saving." _

"_Then I will be dead to you too!" she cried out in anguish, running into the clearing and falling to a heap. She cried for her lover, for her brothers…for the man her father could never be. _

_Lucia numbly stood up and walked towards the water. She stepped in, trying to block out the screams and loud noises of guns and her dresses touched the surface. She let herself submerge, forcing her body to stay down as she struggled against her better judgment. Five minutes felt like it took hours, but soon her body succumbed to the deep abyss…everything going black around her. _

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A/N: Okay so a couple of things: First of all I can't believe you guys with all you're reviews! There were a few of you that caught on to where I was going with this! You guys get gold stars! For those of you that still don't quite understand everything yet, I'm dragging it out to tease you lol.

Second of all, just so everyone knows for the sake of this story, Katherine came to Mystic Falls at the beginning of the year and the Church fire happened at the end of the year. That gives Lucia enough time to get married, fall in love with Harper, and have a child. Of course they didn't waste time back then anyways lol.

And lastly, I know that part with Elena gazing happened with Stefan, but it didn't in this story….i think it was more of a Damon thing to say anyways. Hope you liked it, I'll most likely post the next chapter tomorrow!

Vanessa


	19. Full Moon

Chapter 19: Full Moon

The Boarding House living room was tense. Bonnie and Elena searched the grimoire for any kinds of weakness the shapeshifter may have, Alaric and Stefan allocated the weaponry and explained to Jeremy how to use it if anything happened at the house. Isobel was going through any and all things she could find recorded about shapeshifters while Damon and Lucia stood looking out the window, Damon with a glass of scotch in his hand.

Elena had eventually calmed him down enough to give them a little more time to look into it. Damon was looking at the full moon blankly.

"You probably shouldn't be drinking you know." Lucia suggested somberly.

"Why not, I'm a rowdy drunk." His voice was sarcastic and hollow.

Lucia glowered up at him. "Can you be serious for one second, Damon? This is something we've never dealt with before you can't be so smug about it. We don't even know why it's targeting you!" she hissed.

Damon closed his eyes for a moment. "It's not targeting me, it's targeting Elena. It's using me to get to her." He explained gravely. He wanted to know why. Why did she have to go through this? What is it about her that people felt they needed to remove her from the world? His would be ruined without her. Why should Elena hold the weight of her family's curse…she didn't do anything to deserve this.

They were both silence for a minute. Lucia glanced at Elena. "Why do you think it wants her?" she asked quietly.

Damon shrugged helplessly. "I don't know." Damon looked at her and she caught his eyes. "But I don't care what I have to do to keep her safe."

Elena stood up and walked over to Damon and Lucia with her arms wrapped around herself. "Hey…Bonnie can't find anything about shapeshifters in the grimoire. She thinks they pre date the written text."

"So we're back to square one." Damon acknowledged grimly.

"Damon!" Isobel called out. He sped over and stood in front of her. "His name is Icarus. Meaning legendary figure…He goes way back Damon." Isobel warned him. She flipped through the pages that carried only a little information about him. "He's strong and he's callous, he disregards everyone lesser than him…which according to him is everyone." She explained with trepidation. "He's stronger in his true form, but he likes the game and the challenge so he doesn't usually show his true face." She wasn't really looking forward to hunting this guy down. But she had to, to protect her daughter.

"Damon maybe we shouldn't go after him tonight." Elena suggested coming to stand beside him.

He turned to her with a strong gaze. "_You_ are not going anywhere." He placed his hands on either side of her face. "I can't risk it. You have to stay here."

Elena huffed and rolled her eyes. "And what if he comes here? What if he's waiting outside for you guys to leave so he can grab me here?" she argued.

Isobel stood up. "I'll stay here until they find him. Alaric can call me when they do." She offered, looking towards Ric, would just turned his head away from her. She knew her presence made him uncomfortable, and part of her wished she never hurt him the way she did. He loved her so much, and she left him to be a vampire…what kind of wife did that to their husband?

Elena nodded in resignation. "Damon, please be careful." She begged wrapping her arms around him.

The door opened and Caroline waltzed in. "Whoa…full house." She approached Stefan and beamed when he grinned at her. "Hey…I needed to talk to you. It's about Tyler." Stefan pulled her away so they could talk without the voices on the background. "It's a full moon tonight Stefan…Tyler's going to transition."

Stefan grimaced. "I forgot all about that. We've been dealing with another threat." At her confused look Stefan elaborated. "A shapeshifter has shifted into Damon's form to get to Elena. We were about to track him down."

Caroline eyes got big, and she looked past him to glance at Elena. "God, she must be freaking out. Why does everyone want her dead?" she asked sadly.

Stefan shook his head. "We don't even know if that's what he wants. Where is Tyler going to be locked up tonight?" he asked grabbed her hands in his in comfort.

She sighed. "The old Lockwood cellar. He's there now setting up. We watched some videos that Mason taped of the transition, and it looks bad. Tyler's body is going to go through some major changes, and I promised that I'd be there."

Stefan shook his head. "No…Caroline, you can't it's too dangerous!" he claimed urgently.

"I have to Stefan! I can't let him go through that alone…I did and it sucked."

"Then I'll go with you." He declared. "I'm sure Damon would understand."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Um no he won't…and I'll be fine." She smiled confidently. "I'll be fine, you should help your brother." She hugged him tightly, pressing her cheek to his shoulder. "Be careful, okay?"

Stefan nodded and held her tighter. "You too…if something happens you _call_ me." He stressed firmly.

Caroline pulled away. "I will…I promise." She kissed him quickly before anyone could see and took off.

Stefan headed back into the living room and walked up to Damon. "It's a full moon tonight. Tyler's going to phase." He explained.

"Oh my god I forgot…Is he going to be locked up?" Elena asked concerned.

Stefan nodded solemnly. "Yeah, Caroline's taking care of it." He didn't want her to, but he knew she was stubborn.

"We should leave soon. Bonnie, can you do a locator spell?" Damon asked.

She nodded sitting down on the floor cross legged. "Yeah, I can try and allocate the force of supernatural energy. I'll need some of your hair though." She pulled out some candles and placed them in front of her, lightening them with her mind. She pulled out a map of Mystic falls that she carried in the grimoire and set up.

Damon blinked. "Why?"

Bonnie looked up at him. "Because if he's still wearing your body then I can track him that way." She held out her hand in anticipation.

Damon pulled out a few strands and gave it to her. She closed her eyes and chanted closing her palms around the hair. The candle's flame grew a foot in height. Damon, Elena and Stefan watched as a burning line of fire crawled from the area the Boarding House was located to the high school.

"He's at the school." Elena acknowledged.

"He's waiting for us." Damon proclaimed.

Bonnie panted as she stopped her chanting. She turned her head down and wiped at her nose to get rid of the blood.

"Then let's go." Alaric called out, slipping a gun into the back of his jeans. Isobel walked over to him but he moved to the door before she got there. Everyone grabbed what they needed and headed for the door except for Damon who stayed behind to say goodbye to Elena.

He stared at her for a long time not saying anything. When he opened his mouth she stopped him. "Anything you say right now is going to sound like goodbye." He nodded in understanding. "Just come back in one piece." She gave him a lasting kiss before watching him leave with the others. Isobel went to go check the grounds quickly before coming back to the living room to lean against the wall.

She collapsed on the couch and covered her face with a pillow. Jeremy lay on the couch resting his head in her lap. "I'm scared Jeremy."

"I know…but it's six against one, Elena. I'm sure he won't be expecting that." Jeremy tried to reassure her.

"Yes he will." Isobel iterated bluntly. "He knows Damon's memories…Icarus knew he was coming for him the minute Damon thought it."

Elena pulled the pillow away and threw it to the floor. "What does he _want_?" her voice was tired and stressed.

"I don't know Elena." Isobel walked over to her and sat on the table in front of her. "But I can promise you that you'll be okay. Damon won't let anything happen to you." She confirmed confidently.

Elena looked at her mother, and saw honesty and compassion in her eyes. "And what if it costs him his life or Stefan's or Bonnie's…or yours?"

Isobel smiled tightly. "A risk we are all willing to take." She placed a hand on her thigh. "I know that I don't deserve anything from you except for hatred…but you are my daughter. You're life comes first." She tilted her head to the side. "Do you think I gave you up because I didn't want you? You needed better than what I could give you." She expressed softly. "I was young and John wasn't sticking around and I knew that Grayson and Miranda would love you as if you were their own."

Elena blinked away the tears in her eyes. This was the most honest she had ever seen Isobel, and she was happy that her mother wasn't completely heartless. "Thank you, Isobel." Elena put her hand over hers and squeezed.

The vampire's phone went off and she read the text from Alaric. "They found him…I have to go." Isobel stood and placed a kiss on Elena's head before racing towards the school.

Elena got up and locked the door behind her then settled back into the couch to wait with Jeremy for everyone to come back.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Damon stormed onto the field with a dangerous looking sword and everyone trailing behind him. Icarus was leaning casually on the top of the bleachers with Damon's smirk plastered on his face.

"Bout time…I was starting to get impatient." Damon glared up at the demon wearing his face.

"Lease's up!" Damon yelled to him. "Time for you to get out of my body." Bonnie, Lucia, Alaric and Stefan stared in shock.

Icarus chuckled darkly. "And why would I want to do that when I'm having such a _ball_ in it?" he sped down to stand in front of Damon. "I'm diggin' your skills too…that mind thing, compulsion is it? _Love_ that!" Icarus grinned at the furious look on Damon's face. "Couldn't use it on Elena though, she wears vervain…but of course you know that." He taunted. Icarus looked past him to Bonnie. "And you're the witch right?" he stepped closer. "I love a woman with power." He widened his eyes flirtatiously and he reached out to her. She pulled away but he grazed her arm.

Bonnie glared at him trying with all her might to cause him pain. But it wasn't working. Why wasn't it working?

Icarus chuckled. "Trying that brain aneurism thing on me? Won't work…I've surpassed such hindrances." His eyes pinned hers darkly as he leaned in close. "Better stop before your nose starts bleeding…_Bonnie_." He whispered.

"So are we gonna fight, or are you gonna taunt us all night?" Damon jabbed, pulling Icarus' attention away from Bonnie.

He laughed. "You really want to fight me Damon? I was doing you a favor…I don't want you. I want Elena." He claimed strongly. "She doesn't belong in this world. She is an anomaly, a glitch that needs to be fixed." He explained in annoyance. "She needs to be eliminated."

"Not gonna happen. You see Elena has people that will protect her…you're not gonna lay a hand on her." Damon growled out his face changing and his body coiled with tension.

Icarus shrugged. "You can try to protect her…you all can. It'll be fun." He smiled when Isobel sped up behind everyone else. "I see we have a new player…and just in time for the show."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Caroline watched in horror as Tyler's bones started cracking and shifting causing him to howl in pain. This had been happening on and off for almost an hour now. She ran to him when he collapse again, and held him, comforting him as he wept.

"You're gonna be okay…Tyler, it's gonna be okay." She whispered soothingly in his ear.

"You need to leave!" he shouted. "Go!"

"No." she held him tighter. "I'm not leaving yet."

"Please go…" he whimpered when he felt his body shifting again. "Caroline leave!" he pushed her back and growled loudly. Fangs grew out of his gums and his eyes turned yellow. He ran at her, snarling and pulling on his chains.

She rushed out of the cage, and locked him in it. "I'm sorry Tyler." She cried. She felt bad that he had to go through this. She could see him pulling against his chains, trying desperately to get out, as his body continued the transition.

She closed her eyes as he hollered in agony. She opened her eyes when he broke free of a chain that was bolted to the ground and slammed into the cage doors. He threw himself at it, pulling at the bars.

Caroline ran out of the cellar and barricaded the door right before he ran into it. She screamed when she could feel it give behind her weight. She quickly made the decision to run.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Each vampire threw themselves into the fight, trying desperately to take down the oversized panther. Icarus was winning, throwing each vampire that attacked him off his back and flying across the field.

Lucia collected herself off the ground and ran at him again. Alaric shot an arrow but it was deflected by a heavy paw. Stefan and Damon ran at Icarus from either side, but he swatted Stefan away with his tail. Damon took the opportunity to grab hold of the panther's neck and crank it hard to the right.

He exhaled in relief when the body fell to the ground in a heap. Everyone collected themselves looking at the motionless animal. They all started to walk off the field when they heard a sickening crack.

Damon turned around to see Elena's face smirking at him. "You didn't think I'd give up that easily, did you?"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Caroline ran as fast as she could. She knew Tyler was following her, she could hear his paws hitting the ground. The tree branches were snagging on her clothes and her hair, but she pushed on. The sound of paws hitting the ground got louder. He was close…she looked back and immediately regretted it. Tyler had her pinned, growling in her face as she struggled.

He bit hard into her shoulder and she screamed loudly in anguish. She kicked him off and he went flying, bouncing and hitting the ground a couple of times. He whimpered as he got up and ran into the woods.

Caroline sobbed. Her whole arm was numb. With shaky hands she peeled her shirt down and looked at the wound. It was starting to feel a little better, and her skin was slowly healing over the bite marks. She sighed in relief and got to her feet, taking off towards the Boarding House.

She got there in only a few minutes pounding on the door. "Elena!" she sobbed. "Please let me in!"

Elena yanked the door open, and her eyes widened at Caroline's disheveled appearance. The blonde vampire ran in and her knees buckled when she reached the couch. "What happened, Caroline?" Elena helped her to lie down and looked her over.

"Tyler got out." She rushed her voice frantic. "I tried to barricade him in but he got out a-and he bit me." Tears streaked her cheeks.

Elena looked to Jeremy in panic. "Oh my God." Elena quickly pulled away the clothing that was soaked in blood.

Caroline swallowed hard. "It's okay Elena…it's healed. Wolf bites aren't deadly to vampires, it's a myth…it just hurts a little."

Elena's mouth dropped open. "It's not healed, Care…" There were puncture wounds in the shape of a bite, and a lot of fresh scaring and raw flesh.

"What?" Caroline turned herself to see it and started sobbing again. "Oh my God…call Stefan."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Icarus canted Elena's head to the side. "What no witty comeback?" Damon didn't like the way Elena's voice chuckled sinisterly. "I knew me being in this form would bother you." Icarus ran his hands up and down Elena's body. "Mmm…she feels good." He arched a brow when Damon growled. Stefan was about to run at Elena's form to attack but Damon held him back. Stefan looked at him curiously, but recognized the look of determination on his face. Alaric had handed him the gun behind his back before Damon stepped closer to Icarus.

"Do you think me seeing you in her form bothers me? It doesn't…it's nothing new actually and I have _no_ problem killing you dressed like that." Damon barked. He pulled out the gun quickly and unloaded an entire road on Icarus. He didn't even flinch.

"Ouch, baby." Elena's face pouted at him. "That really hurt." He mocked. Icarus closed his eyes and shifted his form away from the bullets so they were frozen in the air. Icarus laughed. "Well that was fun, let's do it again."

Damon looked on in shock. He didn't even know if anything could kill him. His first two attempts failed.

"You might want to get home, sweetheart." He taunted Damon in Elena's sweet tone, which sounded too much like Katherine. "Looks like you've got trouble."

"Damon!" Stefan called out to his brother. "Caroline's hurt…Tyler got out." He uttered in panic taking off towards the house.

Everyone looked conflicted. Bonnie clearly wanted to follow Stefan but he decided to run instead of with the car. Lucia stood bravely beside Damon, vowing not to leave his side. And Isobel positioned herself slightly in front of Alaric and Bonnie.

"Go, Damon." Icarus said. "If you stay any longer I might kill you…and I'm having _way_ too much fun to do that just yet." He laughed when Damon took off grabbing Bonnie's hand as he passed her, holding on to her tightly as he ran.

Isobel ran with Alaric and Lucia ran after them, but not before sending Icarus a glare.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Stefan was the first to run into the Boarding House. He rushed to the couch where Caroline was still laying and Elena was tending to her wound. Her skin pale and her eyes barely open.

"Caroline…what happened?" he whispered looking her over, and stroking her cheek.

It took Caroline a lot of effort to speak. "Tyler got out…he bit me, Stefan." She gestured to her shoulder.

Stefan looked at the growing wound on her shoulder and tightened his jaw. "Elena, get me some wolf's bane and water." Elena rushed to get the wolf's bane from the desk in Damon's room and then to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water.

Stefan grabbed Caroline's hand and squeezed it. She smiled tiredly. "Does that help?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, but it's worth a try." He shook his head and scowled. "I'm going to kill him." He pronounced in anger.

The blonde shook her head. "No…Stefan." She breathed out. "It's not his fault, he didn't mean to." She told him, her voice raspy and dry.

"I should have been with you." He said, his words laced with guilt.

"It wouldn't have changed anything." She started crying again. "I don't want to die Stefan." Stefan leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers, whispering soothing words to her. She was hot to the touch, like she was coming down with a fever.

Elena ran in to see the intimate moment, and was reluctant to interrupt it. "Here." She handed Stefan the water bottle. "Is she going to be okay?" she asked, her voice wavering.

"I don't know…" he said pulling away from Caroline. He eyes were starting to close. "Drink this, Caroline…please." He tilted the bottle to her lips and she choked on it as in went down.

She groaned and clutched her chest. "Arghh! It burns…" she screeched, grabbing for Stefan.

He nodded, and let her grip his hands. "That means its working."

Everyone came bursting through the door, hearing Caroline's screams from outside. Bonnie and Damon came in first and she rushed to her friend's side. "I can help with the pain." He declared. "Here, give me your hands." Bonnie took Caroline's hands in hers and started chanting quietly.

The blonde's groans and whimpers quieted, until eventually Caroline's eyes closed. "What, what are you doing?" Stefan asked urgently.

"I'm making her go to sleep." She said her eyes still closed. "Her body needs to rest, or she's going to send it into shock." Bonnie knew what Caroline was going through was going to be long and painful. Bonnie prayed that this wasn't the end for her friend. She didn't deserve this…she needed to find a way to heal her.

A/N: I had so much fun writing this chapter! All the scenes with Icarus were a blast. I hope you liked it, and thank you for all you're reviews, you guys are awesome! Lol sidebar: the reason why both Stefan and Elena said they forgot about Tyler phasing was because I forgot too, getting too consumed in the other aspects of my story.

Anyways thanks for reading! Enjoy and review please!

Vanessa


	20. The Antidote

Chapter 20: The Antidote

Damon watched as Elena chest rose and fell with each breath. She was finally asleep. Damon, Stefan and Elena had been up until four in the morning watching over Caroline and thinking up a plan on how to save her.

Bonnie had gone home, worn out from all the magic she used, Alaric headed back to Jenna's with Jeremy, Isobel back to the house she was staying at and Lucia was sleeping in the spare bedroom. Stefan had brought Caroline up to his room and was watching over her from the chair he pulled up to the bed.

The wound on Caroline's shoulder only got worse as the night progressed. It had spread farther over her skin and had weakened her further. Stefan tried desperately to make out her incoherent ramblings, but she was talking in circles.

Stefan held her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles.

Caroline moaned and turned her head towards him. "Hey…" she rasped.

"Hey." Stefan smiled sadly. "How are you feeling?"

She swallowed hard. "Like I'm dying." She joked.

Stefan leaned forward and caught her eyes. "You're not going to die…we're going to find a cure." He promised.

Caroline's bitter chortle got caught in her throat. "Don't lie to me Stefan." She begged. "You're not good at it."

Stefan closed his eyes. "We are going to do the best we can." He grabbed the water bottle of blood off the nightstand. "Are you hungry?" She only shook her head. "Care, you _have_ to eat, you're weak…please." He insisted handing her the bottle.

She took it with shaky hands and pushed herself into a sitting position. She gulped down half the bottle and handed it back to him, wiping the corner of her mouth. "Thanks." She settled herself back down on the bed. "So how did everything go with the shapeshifter last night?"

"Not good…he knows us all too well, and he's very strong. We had to retreat." Stefan explained running a hand down his face.

"But nobody got hurt?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Everyone's fine. Icarus wasn't going for the kill…he was playing with us like toys. He just wants Elena."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena stretched her arm out next to her expecting to feel Damon, but only felt the sheets. She sat up and pulled back the covers, looking around the brightly lit room. The clock read 6:47 am. She'd only slept for a couple hours. She looked down at herself and noticed she was wearing one of Damon's black button ups with the first few buttons undone. He must have changed her last night.

Elena heard the shower shut off, and smiled when she saw Damon walk into the bedroom a minute later; a navy blue towel hung low on his hips and rubbing his hair with a matching towel.

"Morning." She smiled at him appraisingly.

He looked up and grinned at her. "Morning baby…" he tossed the hair towel to the side and threw himself on the bed before her. He kissed her exposed knee, causing her to giggle. "Did you get any sleep?" his dark hair looked so sexy, all damp and mussed.

"A little. I'm really worried about Caroline." Her face changed to one of sadness.

Damon nodded in understanding. "Yeah, Stefan's been up all night taking care of her." He rested his head in her lap, and relished in the way her fingers threaded through his hair.

She looked down at him. "He was so worried about her last night, Damon. I think he cares about Caroline as more than a friend." She concluded, trying to keep her voice down. The house was full of vampires.

Damon frowned and turned his eyes up to hers. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, they have been spending a lot of time together, and he seems happier than usual. And last night I kinda walked in on an intimate moment between them…" Elena sighed and pushed back tears. "I really hope she makes it. She's been my best friend for years, can't imagine a day without her here." Damon sat up and pulled her into his arms, cradling her to his bare chest.

His kissed the top of her head. "Stefan and I are going to do all we can to save her, Elena. I'm going to see Dahlia today, see if she can give me any answers."

Elena looked up at him in uncertainty. "Who's Dahlia?"

"An old friend…she's a witch. We should get ready…she's expecting us." Damon got off the bed and moved around the room pulling his clothes on.

"She knows I'm coming?" Elena threw her legs over the side and grabbed her hair brush from the dresser and combed out her tresses.

"Yes, she knows everything…that's why we have to go see her." Damon came up behind her looking at her through the mirror as he pushed her hair aside. "I got something for you…" he rushed to his desk and sped back to her, dangling the slender silver chain that hung from his fingers. At the bottom hung an azure colored sphere the size of a pearl and wrapped around it was a thin coil of diamonds.

Elena gasped her mouth dropping open in shock. It was beautiful. "Oh my God Damon…its perfect thank you!" she beamed as he latched it around her neck. She touched it gently, before looking up at him with a smile that lit up the room. She kissed him passionately. "Thank you." She said again.

"You're welcome, love. It was my mother's. The sphere contains vervain, my father gave it to her to protect her…" the look of awe grew on her face. "You lost the locket when Klaus ripped it off, and I've been meaning to give it you but we've been a little tied up."

"I love it Damon…" she gave him a peck. "And I love you." She whispered against his lips.

Damon groaned. "We should leave before I pin you to the bed and have my wicked way with you." He kissed her jaw and shoulder, nipping at her skin gently.

"I wouldn't be opposed to that." She breathed out.

Damon picked her up and spread her out on the bed again, deftly undoing the button to his shirt that she was wearing. "Dahlia can wait an hour or two."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Three hours later Damon and Elena pulled up in front of the magic shop. It was in a different place as last time. Dahlia would move locations yet the inside never changed. "We're here." Damon said parking the car.

Elena looked around in confusion. "Where here? There's nothing around here but empty warehouses." She got out of the car and followed him to a red door at the end of the warehouses. "Here?" she asked.

"Yup." He rapped a couple of times.

Elena looked at the big flower on the door and canted her head to the side. "Isn't that a black dahlia?"

Damon smirked. "Yup…you'll get it in a second." He stated cryptically.

The woman opened the door and her eyes settled on Elena first. "Hello Elena…it's great to see you." She greeted sincerely. "Damon." She mock scolded.

He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry we're late…we-"

"I know." Dahlia rolled her eyes and motioned for them to follow her inside. They sat at the back table, and Dahlia kept her eyes trained on Elena, who was looking around the shop in interest. "I told you you'd be seeing me soon, boy." Her slight Jamaican accent slipped.

"You knew we were coming?" Elena asked.

The black witch nodded. "Mhm. I understand that you're friend…Caroline, has been poisoned by a wolf's bite."

Elena narrowed her gaze. "Yes…" she said slowly. "Did you tell her that?" she questioned Damon who shook his head no.

"He didn't need to tell me." She explained shortly. "I've mixed a concoction that might help." She stood slowly, and grabbed a small vile from behind the counter, handing it to Elena. "It's potent so don't give it to her all at once. There may be some side effects: pain, incoherence, traces of hysteria and delusion; that's normal, it means its working."

Damon smiled fondly. "Doctor Dahlia to the rescue."

Dahlia swung her eyes to meet Damon's. "As for you're problem…with Icarus. I can't help you." She shook her head sadly. "That is far beyond my range of power."

Damon peered in confusion. "You can't tell us _anything_ that will help?"

"I'm sorry Damon. But you know that's not what I do here…" Dahlia looked at him seriously. "What you're dealing with is something my quality of power cannot overthrow."

Elena was confused. "Can't you tell us what's going to happen? I mean you knew about Caroline and me and Damon coming…why we were late." She giggled with embarrassment.

Dahlia smirked. "I didn't get the show, don't worry…they're not visions. It's more like a sense. But I can't read if I'm being blocked out. Shapeshifters are impulsive, they change all the time, and therefore their futures are unforeseeable." She shrugged helplessly. "I can tell you that what's coming next will not be easy…be prepared for the worst."

Elena glanced at Damon sending him and worried look. "We better get going." Damon stood and so did Dahlia and Elena. "Gotta prepare for the worst and all." Damon joked, giving Dahlia a lopsided grin.

She walked them to the door pausing before opening it. "Elena tell Bonnie that if she ever needs help with spells or potions she can stop by, she can use all the supplies she needs." She told Elena gladly.

Elena smiled. "Yeah I think she would like that."

Dahlia chuckled. "Good…an old lady like me could use the company."

Elena giggled. "You can't be that old."

"Let's just say I look good for my age." She laughed again. Dahlia opened the door and Damon and Elena stepped out.

"So should she take two and call you in the morning?" Damon asked gesturing to the bottle in Elena's hand.

"I'll know." The witch smiled once more before closing the door behind them.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Damon and Elena made the drive back to the Boarding House in comfortable silence, both lost in their own thoughts.

"What are we going to do about Icarus, Damon? He's still out there." Elena mentioned turning about the vile in her hands.

"I don't know, Lena…I wish I did. Right now let's just deal with Caroline." When they got to the house they immediately went up to Stefan's room to see Caroline.

She was lying in the bed her head turned towards the open window. "Care…" Elena sat on the bed. "Are you awake?"

Caroline turned her head and smiled sadly at her friend. Her face was translucent and stained with tears. "Yeah…the pain makes it hard to sleep." She rasped out.

"We got something for you. An antidote of sorts…we have to blend it in your food." Elena explained holding Caroline's hand comfortingly.

She nodded. "Stefan's getting me some blood now." As she said this, Stefan walked into the room holding a glass of blood.

"Hey…you found something?" He went around the bed and sat down on the other side.

"Yeah." Damon said from behind Elena. "It's strong so we have to give it to her over a couple of days."

Stefan nodded for Elena to hand him the vile, and he poured a few drops in her blood. "Here…" he held the glass out in front of her, and Caroline caught the straw between her lips.

After a few big sips she pulled away and made a face. "Ew…it tastes funny." Stefan encouraged her to drink more and she did so reluctantly. "Thanks you guys…I don't know what I'd do without you." She said as a tear fell.

"You'd probably be safe at home in your bed and human without us…you shouldn't thank us for anything." Damon replied with his arms crossed. He said it bluntly in a flat tone, but Elena knew he felt bad for being the one to put her in this situation.

Caroline glanced at him. "Or I'd be dead, because _you _weren't there to give me your blood before Katherine killed me. I'm gonna die anyways so I guess it doesn't matter all that much anymore." She mumbled.

Stefan turned her head towards him. "You're not going to die, don't talk like that okay."

The blonde attempted a smile that didn't reach her eyes. She looked back at Elena and Damon. "You know guys don't have to stay here, and watch me be a lump. I'm not going anywhere, and I'm sure you guys have a lot to do." Caroline said honestly. She didn't want everyone around seeing her so weak.

Elena shook her head. "No it's okay Caroline…we want to be here."

"Go…please. I'm choked enough as it is that I can't help, so go…be productive." Caroline encouraged, nudging Elena off the bed. "I'll be fine."

Elena got off the bed. "Okay…call us if you need anything." Elena and Damon left the room to go downstairs.

"Stefan you don't have to stay." She whispered. She really wanted him to stay, but she didn't want him to feel obligated to.

He shook his head. "Nope. I'm not going anywhere. Looks like you're stuck with me." Stefan grinned, and nodded to her shoulder. "Does it feel any better?"

Caroline glanced at it. "Its more of a dull ache now, how does it look?"

Stefan peeled back the strap on her tank top. "The same…we probably won't see the results for a couple of days." He pulled the strap back up and kissed her forehead. "You should get some rest."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "That's all I've been doing since last night, I'm so bored laying here." She complained.

"I'm sorry Caroline, but you can't overdo it…you need to maintain the strength you have."

She rolled her eyes again. She was about to speak when someone knocked on the door. "Hey…Elena told me you were up here." Tyler uttered quietly. He looked bad; his eyes were bloodshot, and dark with circles under them.

Stefan didn't even think about revealing himself to Tyler. He sped over to him and pinned him to the wall. "Get out." He snarled.

"Stefan let him go, please." Caroline attempted but her voice was weak.

"Get off me, man!" Tyler tried to pull out of his grasp, but Stefan's arm was shoved against his throat.

The veins under Stefan's eyes protruded. "She could _die_ because of you!" he growled dangerously in Tyler's face. "I hope you know that if she does, then so will you." He threatened.

"Stefan, please he can't breathe!" she begged. She relaxed when Stefan pulled away, still glaring at the other boy.

Tyler gasped for air, and hunched over coughing. "So what…you're a vampire too?" he croaked. Stefan didn't reply. "Can I talk to you for a bit Caroline?" he walked over to her bed.

Stefan grunted in displeasure. "Yeah." Caroline answered. "Stefan its okay. Just wait downstairs."

Stefan glared at Tyler as he strode towards the door. "I'll be in the hall."

Tyler sat in the chair Stefan was previously sitting in. "I'm so sorry Care…I couldn't control it." He said miserably.

"I know…Stefan and Damon are working on making me better." Caroline frowned in confusion. "Do you hear that?" she looked around wildly.

"Hear what?"

"That noise? That buzzing sound…you don't hear it?" she sat up a little, frowning in concentration.

"No, I don't hear anything, are you okay?" Tyler asked concerned.

Her eyes widened. "Its getting louder, you're telling me you can't hear that!" she raised her husky voice. With a burst of energy she got out of bed and moved around looking for where the noise was coming from.

"I don't think you should be up and about right now." He suggested and gasped when he saw the mark he made on her shoulder. "Oh my god, Caroline…your back." he walked over to her but she moved quickly tearing the room apart.

"Where the hell is it coming from!" she cried out. She covered her ears with her hands. "Ughh, make it stop!" she sobbed, falling to the floor.

She closed her eyes tight and she heard her name being called out over and over but it was quiet compared to the loud buzzing blaring in her eardrums.

"Caroline!" Stefan shouted, shaking her a little. "Listen to me." His calming voice finally reached her ears. "You're okay; everything's going to be okay."

The buzzing stopped and she opened her eyes to see Stefan crouching beside her, and Elena, Damon, Tyler and a bed headed Lucia staring at her in concern. She took a few calming breaths, wiping the tears from her eyes and she stood slowly with Stefan's help. "I heard this noise…and it just kept getting louder." She mumbled as she collapsed back in bed. She felt exhausted.

"Dahlia said this might happen." Damon started. "Hysteria, delusions…those are the side effects. The antidote is working." He stated casually.

Stefan turned around on him and glared. "A heads up would have been nice Damon."

Damon shrugged. "I figured you'd want her to take it regardless. Hysteria and delusions," he held one hand out, palm up. "Or slow painful death." He made a scale motion with both hands and quirked his mouth to the side. "I particularly would prefer the former."

Elena looked at Tyler, who seemed scared and worried for Caroline. "Tyler maybe now's not a good time. When she's feeling a little better…" she trailed off glancing at her friend. Tyler nodded, and left the room taking one last look the blonde vampire. Elena turned to Stefan. "At least we know that it's working…the side effects suck, but it may mean saving her life, or unlife, whatever."

Stefan nodded, his brow deeply furrowed. "You're right. Thank you Damon…for doing this for Caroline." He expressed gratefully.

Damon nodded. "You're welcome Stef…" he smiled uneasily, not used to hearing those words. "I'm going back downstairs." He held out a hand to Elena who took it, and let him lead them back down the stairs.

Lucia stood in her pajama bottoms and tank top staring at her brother cautiously. They hadn't spoken a word to each other since she got here and it was starting to bother her. They both held all this pent up resentment towards each other that they couldn't even muster up a hello anymore.

"Is there something you wanted to say, Lucia? Because you're staring, and it's annoying." Stefan ran a hand through his hair, sighing in irritation.

Lucia huffed and crossed her arms. "Is this how it's going to be for the rest of our lives, Stefan? You hating me because Damon was my favorite, and me hating you for ever letting me get married, because if that's the case we still have a long way to go."

He shook his head. "I never hated you, Luc. I was jealous, okay. I just wanted you to look up to me like you did him." He admitted.

Lucia was shocked. She had no idea that he was jealous. "But you acted like dad did. Telling me what I could and couldn't do, I just wanted to be a kid. You robbed that from me, I had every reason to be angry with you." Lucia hissed narrowing her gaze.

Stefan nodded. "You're right…I was wrong, I'm always wrong. And you and Damon have made my life miserable ever since because of it." He sighed and went to sit beside Caroline who was already sleeping soundly, from her lack of energy. "Can you go now Lucia…I want to be with Caroline." He avoided her gaze when she looked at him hurt.

"Fine." She surrendered starting to walk to the door before turning around. "You know Stefan, I may have been furious at you for all these years…but you're still my brother, and I still love you." When he didn't reply or even look at her, Lucia left Stefan's room to go back to hers.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Damon sat in the chair in front of the fireplace. He could hear the whole conversation between Lucia and Stefan and he couldn't believe Stefan had ever been jealous of him. His family used to be so close once upon a time, and now they held all this resentment towards each other. Damon towards Stefan for making him turn, Stefan towards Lucia for favoring Damon, Lucia towards Stefan for forcing her into a family she wasn't prepared to have, and Stefan towards Damon for making his life hell. It was a never ending circle, and Damon wondered when it was ever going to stop.

He was jarred out of his thoughts when Elena came to sit on his lap and handed him a mug of blood as she sipped her cup of coffee. "Thanks, love." He took a big gulp, and put it on the small table beside the chair. He gazed at her smiling face, and dropped his eyes to the necklace that hung delicately from her neck, catching the light playfully. "That necklace looks stunning on you."

Elena brought her hand up to it fondly. "Tell me about her."

Damon smiled sadly. "She was captivating with everything she did. I was young when she died, but I'll always remember certain things about her; like the way her hair always smelt like lavender, or her laughter…how she'd recite poetry." His face got wistful as he remembered her. It had been so long since he let himself feel the pain his mother's dead had caused. It felt good to speak about her.

Elena rested her head on his shoulder. "What was her name?"

"Graciella…it means grace." Damon relished in these moments; the ones where it was just him and Elena talking quietly forgetting about the chaos around them.

"It's beautiful. How did she die?" she asked cautiously.

"She died giving birth to Lucia. My father changed after that." Damon played absentmindedly with the tips of her tresses. "He used to smile all the time…the last time he smiled at me was when I left for the army; he couldn't _wait_ for me to go." He bit out sourly.

Elena traced patterns lighting on his chest through his shirt, comforting him as Damon told her about his parents. She was happy that he was opening up to her about it at all. Anything that included repressed emotions was usually a hard topic to get him to even acknowledge, but now he was freely talking about his mother and father without her even having to push for it.

They spent the rest of the day inside, in Damon's room, cuddled in bed. Elena rested her head on Damon's chest as he quietly read to her. She was half asleep in his arms and he couldn't help but beam at how stunning she was. How did he get here? Only a few weeks ago he was drunk off his ass hating himself for ever letting himself love someone who could never love him back and now here she was…naked and curled around his body, her heart beat reverberating through his chest. He couldn't have been happier.

Damon placed the book on the nightstand, and kissed her softly on the crown of her head. He didn't want to move but he knew he had to get to the blood bank. With four vampires in the house his stash was dwindling. He'd let her sleep for now.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A couple hours later Damon sped out of the blood bank. He wanted to get back to Elena as quickly as possible. She was reluctant to let him go, and it took everything in him to pretend like that pout of hers didn't affect him.

Damon placed the case of blood packets in the backseat of his car and was about to hop in the driver's seat when he saw it. He slammed the door so hard the car teetered on its wheels. He stormed over to the man leaning on his car, staring at him with his arms crossed.

"Could you be more obvious?" Damon barked rhetorically.

Icarus smirked. "What you mean my attire? I like being you, you're fun!" he chuckled a little bit, and pushed off the car to walk down the street, knowing Damon would follow him. "But boy does Jenna hate you."

Damon sped to stand in front of him. It was late and no one was around in the warehouse district to see the confrontation. "You stay away from Jenna; she has nothing to do with this." It was weird looking at himself like this…he could see how this would bother Elena.

Icarus gave him a condescending look. "I know, but I'm enjoying myself. This morning was _especially_ amusing. Elena's breathy moans in the throws of passion…" he smirked when Damon's eyes lit up in fury. "I could feel her as if I was touching her with my own hands." He lifted one in example.

Damon grabbed it and bent it backwards, pinning him to the brick wall to their right. Icarus laughed and threw Damon off of him and to the ground. The second Damon was up and in his face again the shapeshifter punched him hard in the nose. Damon retaliated, throwing a series of solid, quick punches that did little damage to him.

Icarus grabbed Damon's arm and flung him into the brick wall hard, causing the bricks to crack and crumble under the force. Damon's head hit the wall too and he tried to shake off the wave of dizziness that followed. Icarus took this moment to slam his fist into his face a few more times, before letting Damon's body slide down the wall.

Icarus looked down on him proudly. "This is starting to get tedious, and more than a little pathetic."

Damon coughed up the blood in his mouth. "Get out of my body." He mumbled glaring up at him.

Icarus' shape shifted before his eyes. Damon tall body shrunk to a smaller frame, his dark hair grew longer and lighter, the eyes melting from blue to brown. "Do you prefer this one?" Elena's voice asked him. "Or maybe this one?" his form changed again to a woman in her mid thirty's with shoulder length blonde hair. "You don't know her…I killed her last night." He said casually with a shrug.

Damon stood back up to face the woman's figure before him. "You sick son of a bitch." He was regaining some of his strength back. Icarus was stronger than him; there was no doubt about that.

The woman smiled brightly and cocked her head to the side. "I am…thank you for noticing." Icarus shifted again towering over Damon by almost a foot. He was in his true form now, dwarfing Damon in his height and bulkiness. "I am stronger in true form, now would not be the time to mess with me." His deep voice warned. "I have been cutting you and your friends a break because you're not important to me…but you are standing in the way of Elena, which I cannot let happen. Stand down, or I'll kill everyone…starting with _Jenna_." Icarus proclaimed dangerously, before walking away and leaving Damon standing in the middle of the sidewalk.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A/N: So here's a nice long chapter for you to make up for the long wait. Sorry about that by the way, work made it hard for me to sit a complete a chapter all in one go. To be honest not one of my favorite chapters but it helped me set up for the next chapter and I got to stick in some Delena love! Please let me know what you thought of it, and I hope you enjoyed the long read.

Vanessa


	21. The Postit

Chapter 21: The Post-it

Damon limped into the Boarding House later that night, his pride hurting as much as his body. He made his way into the living room where he could hear Elena pacing the floor.

"Hey…" he greeted with a weak smile.

Elena stopped moving and whipped around to see him leaning in the door jab. "Oh my god Damon!" she ran to him and immediately threw her arms around him. He winced a little and she pulled away to look at him. "What happened to you?" she exclaimed, glancing at the blood down his shirt and the slowly healing bruises and cuts on his face.

Damon pushed himself off the door jab and ambled down the couple steps to the couch. "Icarus happened to me." He grumbled out throwing himself on the couch.

Elena sat down next to him, resting her hand on his thigh. "I thought we agreed that we were going to steer clear of him until we knew more." She stated, caught between being happy that he was okay, and angry that he sought him out.

Damon closed his eyes, and tried to focus on healing his bones. "He pissed me off." He replied simply.

Elena rolled her eyes, her anger winning over with his decree. "And that gives you a reason to go after him when we know next to nothing about him? Damon…you're lucky this is all he did to you." She gestured to him. Elena sighed and curled into him gingerly careful not to hurt him. Damon didn't seem to mind as he wrapped his arms around her. "I think we need some outside help." She announced quietly and cautiously.

"Such as…" he trailed off.

Elena's eyes glanced up to him quickly before lowering again. "Katherine."

Damon's eyes popped open in surprise. "No." he disputed with finality.

Elena leaned up a little and shrugged her shoulders. "Too bad, I already called her."

"What you two are _pals _now?" he asked sarcastically.

She shook her head. "No, but she obviously made herself available for a reason. Isobel helped me get in contact with her." she admitted calmly.

Damon whined childishly, and dropped his head over the back of the couch. "_Elena!_ I don't wanna see her." He complained. He groaned out loud when he heard her.

"Well that's rude….after everything I've done for you the least you could do is be happy to see me. Hello Elena. So you need my help…again." Katherine slowly came down the stairs to stand behind the couch resting her hands on the cushion on either side of Damon's head looking down at him. "It didn't take you too long to move in on my double, I see." She teased. "Isobel was quite pleased with your choice Elena…it's the one she would have made." Katherine waltzed around the couch and sat in the chair opposite them. "She tells me you're dealing with a shapeshifter…they're pretty dangerous." She sing-songed, bouncing her crossed leg over her knee.

Damon glared at her. "What do you know about them?"

Katherine nodded once. "Straight to the point…good. I hate small talk." Katherine shrugged a shoulder. "I don't know much, they pre date me and you several times over. I know they're rare, and that they're stronger in their true form." She disclosed confidently.

Elena leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees. "Isobel already told us all that. Do you know _anything_ else?" she pressed apprehensively.

Katherine paused, debating whether or not to get so involved. "They are _very_ hard to kill." She stressed, staring at Damon with hard brown eyes. "Shapeshifters can only be killed in their true form."

Elena smiled a little and turned to Damon with hope in her eyes. "Well that's something…we just don't know what his true form looks like."

"I do." Damon stated. "Icarus showed it to me tonight, right after he handed my ass to me." He grumbled resentfully.

Katherine raised a brow high on her forehead. "Icarus? I've heard of him…kind of a dick if you ask me." She commented dryly.

"He was pretending to be Damon to get to me…now I think he's just playing with us." Elena explained tunneling her hands through her long tresses.

"And I've had enough of it. We've been stepping on eggshells trying to avoid this arrogant _asshole_, when what we should be doing is coming at him from all angles." Damon ground out heatedly as he got to his feet and poured himself a drink.

Katherine turned a little to look at him. "Well if you want my opinion-"

Damon turned his head a little to smirk at her condescendingly. "I don't."

Katherine rolled her eyes and Elena looked skyward. "Damon….she's trying to help." Elena told him giving him a stern look.

Damon turned back to the bar downing the drink before pouring another.

Katherine crossed her arms and pinned her gaze on her doppelganger. "I'm not doing this out of the _kindness _of my heart…I owe you for getting me out of that tomb and for taking care of Klaus. After this we're even…" She emphasized, her words turning snarky and measured as if she was talking to an insolent child. "Which means Elena you can't call me every time someone's trying to kill you. I'm not Isobel, so you're death…not gonna bother me that much." She affirmed with a careless shrug.

Damon leaned in and sniffed her hair, frowning in confusion. "What _is_ that perfume you wearing…Heartless Bitch?" he mocked, before coming to sit back next to Elena.

Katherine's smile lacked humor, her eyes following his form back to its original spot. "Funny. Although, pushing my buttons, not a very smart thing to do when I'm you're only hope." Damon shut up and she smirked. "So…tell me how this lovely development happened? I'm _dying_ to know." She asked impiously as she gestured at the two of them.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Lucia rushed into Stefan's room where he had fallen asleep next to Caroline. "Stefan…wake up." His eyes slowly opened to stare at his sister questioningly. "Katherine's here." She whispered urgently. Lucia had been around for a long time, but Katherine always scared her.

Stefan frowned and opened his ears to here the conversation downstairs. "She's here to help." He slipped out of the bed and out of Caroline's arms reluctantly. "You shouldn't be worried, she's not here to hurt anyone…Elena probably called her." He confirmed.

Lucia looked at him incredulously. "Seriously? What are they _BFF's_ or something?" she mocked. She always thought the acronyms teens used nowadays were ridiculous.

Stefan rolled his eyes. "No, but Katherine helped them before, she saved Elena when I attacked her…" Stefan paused thinking things over. "She may not admit it, but she's different now…she has nothing to run from anymore." He concluded listening in on the rest of the conversation downstairs.

He wasn't ready to face her yet. He had come to terms with a lot of things on his time away but Katherine was not one of them. All his feelings and thoughts about her were still jumbled and out of sorts and until they were organized he couldn't face her. He decided to stay upstairs with Caroline and until she left.

Lucia shook her head. "Katherine can't change Stefan…not when she's been this way for five centuries. She doesn't care about anyone but herself, and she can't be trusted." She announced firmly.

"You know _she_ can hear you right?" a voice said from behind her. Lucia whipped around to see Katherine standing in the doorway. She laughed and stepped into the room glancing at Stefan, before locking her eyes back on Lucia. "Hello Lucia…it's been a long time since I've seen you. Hi Stefan…" her voice softened when she spoke to him. "You look better."

Stefan blinked trying to hold his emotions together. "I am."

She smiled…actually smiled. "Good." Katherine glanced at Caroline and took in her ill state. "Looks like she got the bad end of a wolf bite."

"How did you know that?" Stefan asked curiously.

"I've known a couple of vampires that got bit…didn't turn out so well for them." she commented heedlessly. She noticed the vile of liquid on the nightstand. "But you seem to have something that will help…only a few witches know the cure, but they like to keep it hush hush."

Lucia frowned. "It's a cure?"

"Maybe. If anything it'll slow down the process…but I never knew much about that witchy nonsense." She said with a wave of her hand. "I always left that to Emily." Katherine roamed around the room, letting her hand trail over the books and the desk. "You know I always loved this room…so many memories."

Lucia rolled her eyes. "And I'm leaving." She wasn't in the mood for Katherine's bullshit conversation. She had heard enough of it in 1864 for one lifetime.

Stefan cursed Lucia silently for leaving him with her. She still had a hold on him…somehow after all these years she still pulled at his heartstrings. "Is there a reason you're up here Katherine?" he asked keeping his voice calm.

Katherine turned around to smile at him. "I heard you up here…I wanted to see how you were doing. Is that such a shock to you?"

"Yes." He admitted. "Everything you do is a shock to me. I never know what to expect with you…except for your lies." Stefan added bitterly.

Katherine laughed. "What makes you think I _ever_ lied to you Stefan?" She stepped closed to him. "Maybe in the beginning…but I was worried that you'd be afraid of what I was."

Stefan shook his head. "I don't want to do this with you again Katherine…you trying to convince me that the love we had was real is not going to work." He wanted to believe it was real because he had invested so much into it, but he knew that if she really truly loved him she wouldn't have been tempted by Damon and she never would have waited as long as she did to find him.

The older vampire shook her head sadly. "But it _was_ real Stefan! Don't you remember any of it? You're love for me was real and pure and so was mine for you." She continued to insist.

"You were selfish…you wanted us both, you couldn't settle for just me." His voice hitched painfully.

"I was…all I knew was how to get what I want, but it didn't change how I felt about you…how I still feel about you." Her voice was softer than usual and open. When Stefan stared at her silently she reached out to him. "Can we talk somewhere Caroline isn't?" she asked glancing at her.

Stefan frowned, as if just remembering the other vampire in the room. "Not now…I need to feed her." He moved away from Katherine quickly and to Caroline's bed. "We have much bigger problems to deal with right now than this."

She sighed and bit her lip, trying to push away the feeling of rejection. It was uncommon to her, and she was surprised by how much it hurt. "Okay…" she walked towards the door and watched him pull out a bag of blood from the cooler beside the nightstand and pour it into a mug. "I still love you Stefan…even if you don't believe it."

Stefan chose to not look at her. If he did, he wasn't sure what he'd do. He was so conflicted by his feelings. Katherine, the woman he pined over for years was still in love with him, and he was quickly falling for the blonde vampire sleeping in his bed. It was like Katherine enjoyed barging into his life the moment things were looking up just to trample all over the progress he'd made.

"Hey…" Caroline murmured.

Stefan was shaken out of his reverie by her voice. "Hi…how are you feeling?"

"Eh. I could be better…you could be lying here with me." She said playfully in a raspy tone.

He smiled. "I will…you just need to eat first." He poured some of the concoction in the mug and handed it to her. Caroline willingly drank down the whole mug, getting used to the taste of the potion. She handed it back and Stefan placed it on the nightstand before slipping in next to her. "There…better?"

She nodded. "Much." She let him wrap her in his arms.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena watched Damon pour another drink. "Drinking yourself into a stupor is not going to make this any better." She commented.

Damon turned to her. "It takes a lot to get me drunk…this is taking the edge off enough not to hunt Katherine down and kill her." He grumbled knocking back another shot.

"Because of what she said, about not caring if I died…did you really expect that she would?" she asked laughing a little. She got off the couch and walked up behind him wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his back.

"Not that." He looked up to the ceiling. "She was torturing Stefan up there. Reminding him how real their love was…how she still feels about him." Damon frowned, feeling defensive of his little brother.

Elena kissed his shoulder. "Stefan is smarter than that, Damon…he would never fall for it."

Damon put the glass down and turned around, looking her in the eyes and trailing his hands up and down her back. "He wants to believe it, Elena…he wants it to be real, but years of convincing himself that it wasn't, is weighing heavily on him." He explained knowingly. Stefan never had to tell him all these things because he was an open book…he wore his emotions clearly on his face.

Elena frowned. "Do you think he still loves her?"

Damon took a second to answer. "I don't know…maybe, but regardless of whether he does or not, she still has a hold on him."

Elena looked towards the stairs. "I thought he'd moved past that…I mean he told me he was over Katherine a long time ago." It didn't bother her that Stefan lied; it upset her that he thought he had to.

Damon huffed out a laugh. "You were his girlfriend of course he told you he was over her." He stated playing with the tips of her hair.

Elena narrowed her gaze at him. "Are you over Katherine?" she mocked a serious voice.

Damon smiled lovingly. "Absofuckinlutely."

She smiled and continued playfully. "But I'm your girlfriend…of course you'd say you're over her." She threw his words back at him.

Damon placed his hands on either side of her face, and blue eyes met brown. "I was over her the minute I found out she wasn't in the tomb." His thumb stroked her cheek delicately. "And I knew I'd never love her again the day I fell in love with you."

Elena closed her eyes in bliss and pressed her cheek against his chest inhaling the scent that was uniquely Damon. "You never told me exactly when that was."

"That's for me to know and for you to-"

Elena looked up at him with humor in her eyes. "Dot, dot, dot?" When Damon just smiled she smiled back. "I figured you wouldn't tell me…it would take away the mystery of it all."

Damon chuckled lightly. "You're telling me you don't have any idea of when it could have been?"

Elena laughed nervously. "I could guess but I'd probably be wrong."

"Probably." He teased before smiling down at her. "But it doesn't matter when it happened, just know that I am in love with you…and I will be for a very long time." He stated seriously.

"For eternity?" she shot back, looking at him through her lashes. When Damon's face closed a little she realized he still wasn't comfortable with the idea of her turning. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you Damon, what is so wrong with that?"

Damon pulled away and turned towards the bar. "I thought we weren't going to discuss this for a few more years?" his voice seemed hollow and Elena didn't like it.

She rolled her eyes. "Well I lied then. We can't avoid the subject every time it comes up Damon…sooner or later it's going to happen." She argued heatedly.

Damon turned around and frowned down at her. "Then we'll talk about it _later_." He pressed.

She stepped closer to him. "I don't want to wait until later…don't you think we've waited long enough?" Elena asked holding his left hand in hers, fingering his ring. "Lexi told me that when you love someone enough you _want_ to turn them so you can be with them forever…why don't you want that with me?" Elena let her insecurities seep out; Damon's insistence to ignore the topic made her feel uncertain.

Damon shook his head. "No, no you don't understand. It's not that I don't want that with you, I do…I just don't wish this life for you." He insisted emphatically.

"Damon I can make my own decisions." She argued firmly. "All everyone tries to do is make decisions for me. Please don't let yourself be included in that group." She beseeched, seeing the change in Damon's face immediately. He didn't want to be that person; it was the whole reason they became such good friends, because didn't stop her from doing what she wanted. "I love you. I've already come to terms with what I'm giving up, and it's all worth it to be with you." She reached her arms up to wrap around his neck, and pushed herself up onto her toes to meet his lips with hers.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sunday morning had Elena and Damon in a mood. He took her home to check on Jenna and Jeremy and to grab more clothes for Elena. The first glitch of the day started as such: The front door opened to a pissed off Jenna on the other side.

"Damon…so nice of you to bring my niece home." Sarcasm dripped from each word as she crossed her arms and glared at him. Her gazed swung to Elena. "You have no idea how cranky I am at you. Spending days at a time and your boyfriend's house, calling once in a while to let me know you're alive, not to mention missing school…what is going on with you Elena?" Jenna shook her head, and opened the door further to let them in. They sat in the living room awkwardly.

"I'm sorry Jenna." Elena apologized sincerely. "I won't miss anymore school, I promise. I want be here more, but if I am it's going to be with Damon…so please just deal with it." She exasperated.

Jenna sighed, and looked skyward. "Fine." She threw her hands up in surrender. "I'll deal…I won't like it, but if it means I get to see you more." Jenna half smiled. "And Jeremy really seems to miss you." They talked for a while longer and Jeremy came down still in his pj's and a messy mop of hair to greet his sister. Jenna still wasn't happy with Damon; his 'kidnapping' as she put it, of her niece left her perturbed with his presence.

Damon followed Elena upstairs to her room so she could grab some more clothes. "I wish I didn't have to lie to her so much. We have to tell her what's going on sooner or later." Elena mentioned as she moved to her dresser pulling things out of the drawers.

Damon threw himself on her bed. "We will…let's just get over this hump first, before adding more mess to a messy situation."

Elena nodded then looked at the mirror. Glitch number two: the post it. Elena frowned and reached for the pink post it stuck to her mirror. _Elena, 2343 Freeman drive. Come alone. _The paper shook in her hands. "Damon…"

"Yeah?"

"I think Icarus was here." She handed him the post it and he glanced at it. "I think I should go." She mumbled.

Damon's eyes shot to her. "What? Are you insane! Elena it's a set up!" he exclaimed, angered although not shocked by her selflessness.

Elena sat down next to him on the bed. "I know…but he holds all the cards right now, and if we don't do what he says people are going to die." She pressed, thinking about her family and friends.

Damon looked at her closely and with worry etched on his chiseled face. "Elena, if you do this _you_ will die." It killed him how much Elena cared and loved others…so much so she'd sacrifice her life for them. It was a scary thought and he hoped she would never do anything that reckless…and leave him here to mourn for her.

Elena knew if she said anything else Damon would find a way to counter it. She kept silent, letting the subject drop for now. "We should probably call Katherine…" Elena suggested.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Katherine's heels clicked as she leisurely walked down the sidewalk of the suburban street. No one knew she was here…she told Elena not to go, and after some bickering she finally conceded. She sighed. Katherine hated shapeshifters, but she needed to protect her family lineage. But she would never admit that to anyone.

She walked up the steps of the house and tucked her straight hair behind her ears. "Showtime." She whispered to herself with a smile. She opened the door and was glad to know that whoever's house this was, was already dead. The house was dark, but her eyes adjusted quickly. Katherine put her acting skill to work as she slowly walked into the living room, her body guarded.

"Elena…you came. That's brave of you." Icarus' voice echoed in the open room. He was standing by the window, the light shining on his true face.

"What do you want from me?" she added a wobble to her voice, and crossed her arms over her chest.

Icarus laughed. "What everyone else wants from you…your blood." He replied casually.

She looked at him with scared curiosity. "But why?" She took a hesitant step closer.

Icarus blinked, put off by her interest. Most of his victims didn't bother to stop screaming to question him. "You're not supposed to exist." He pronounced annoyed. "You've caused a glitch in the system."

Katherine frowned. This was information she had never heard before. "What system?"

Icarus stepped towards her, nearly closing the gap between them. He pointed at her with one long finger. "You my dear are asking way too many questions."

Katherine forced her chest to rise and fall heavily. "Look I'll give you what you want okay, just leave my family alone." She offered desperately. It seemed like something she would say.

Icarus frowned deeply. "You're sacrificing yourself? But you don't even know the torturous trials I plan on putting you through yet." His words were laced in sarcasm, although he did seem a bit disappointed. "It was going to be fun…" he pouted before walking towards the bar.

Katherine turned around to look at his broad back. "I'm not afraid of what you'll do to me."

He glanced at her over his shoulder, gracing her with a sick smile. "You should be."

Katherine nodded. "I get it…I shouldn't be alive. I'm the doppelganger of a doppelganger. But I didn't ask for this." Her voice lowered to a softer tone. "All I wanted was to be normal. A normal girl with her normal friends and a normal boyfriend, but instead I'm surrounded by the abnormal. Tell me how that makes sense?" she asked him rhetorically, fake emotion plastered on her face.

Icarus took a sip of his drink, furrowing his brow thoughtfully. "Is this supposed to work?" he gestured vaguely with his hand. "This 'woe is me; my life sucks 'cause my boyfriend's a vampire' speech?" he leisurely strolled towards her and stopped when only an inch or two separated them. "If you think you are fooling me…" Enter glitch number three: "…_Katherine_." He emphasized dangerously leaning towards her ear. "Then you are very, _very _wrong."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A/N: Sooo sorry for the late update but with Christmas and then new years I got a little held up. But an extra long chapter for you guys to make up for it. I'm excited for the next chapter it shall be interesting to say the least.

Also I'd like to credit Ethereal Demon for her inadvertent suggestion about Icarus only being able to die in his true form. Utter brilliance! Thank you.

Thank you for all your reviews and comments I love them! Hope everyone had and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Vanessa


	22. Message Delivered

Chapter 22: Message Delivered

Icarus took a sip of his drink, furrowing his brow thoughtfully. "Is this supposed to work?" he gestured vaguely with his hand. "This 'woe is me; my life sucks 'cause my boyfriend's a vampire' speech?" he leisurely strolled towards her and stopped when only an inch or two separated them. "If you think you are fooling me…" Enter glitch number three: "…_Katherine_." He emphasized dangerously leaning towards her ear. "Then you are very, _very _wrong."

Katherine kept her face emotionless regardless of the surprise she felt at his words. He found her out; her cover was blown and something bad was about to happen. "Hm, and here I thought we were breaking some ground."

Icarus sipped his drink as he regarded her thoughtfully. "You know, I've considered killing you right now."

Katherine raised a brow. "What's stopping you?" her voice was calm and her attitude was nonchalant.

"What would be the point? It's not like any of them would miss you…it would probably be one less problem they'd have to deal with." He laughed when he saw a slight change of emotion on her face. "And it's not gonna make _me_ feel any better, well it will for about two seconds, before I realize that I'll have to get rid of your rotten and decaying body." Icarus chuckled again.

Katherine glared him down. He was right…no one would miss her; not Stefan, not Elena and definitely not Damon. It's not like she had friends. "You'd probably be doing me a favor…save me from the tragedy of the noise these kids call music today. The day somebody introduces the new Justin Beiber I'm staking myself." She said half seriously. Music sucked today…at least pop music did.

Icarus laughed again. "You and I could have been friends Katherine." He commented stepping closer to her.

Katherine looked up at him from under her lashes. "I don't have any friends."

He shrugged. "Neither do I. But you _attempted_ to trick me, and for that you have made an enemy." Icarus smiled tightly before gripping her throat painfully. Katherine's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open as she clawed desperately at his hand. "I would like if you could deliver a message for me." He whispered.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Damon watched Elena pace the parlor in front of the fire. She was tense since they found the post it this morning. "Relax sweetheart, I can hear your heart hammering in your chest." He remarked, his words soothing and quiet in the room.

Elena turned towards him startled. "I'm sorry…I just don't like waiting around like this." She sat on the arm of the chair and Damon quickly pulled her down on his lap. "I wonder what Katherine's doing."

Damon shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe she's kicking his ass as we speak." He joked.

"Or she's already dead and we're back at square one." Elena grumbled. She shook her head and stood up, pulling out of Damon's arms. "I can't do this anymore Damon." She expressed dreadfully. "I can't sit around waiting for someone to kill me and my friends. He could have killed you last night!" she cried starting down at him.

"But he didn't." Damon replied with a soft smile.

Elena's words became frantic. "He will Damon! He will come after everyone until he gets me, how can you be okay with that?" she yelled.

Damon stood up and grasped her arms gently. "I'm not okay with it Elena! I'm trying to keep you alive!" he argued trying to make her see that he was doing his best.

"Well maybe you shouldn't!" she shouted, her face showing anger despite the tears in her eyes.

Damon looked at her in disbelief. He couldn't even reply right away because of the shock her words had left on him. He placed both hands on either side of her face, and smudged away her tears. "Don't say that." He whispered brokenly.

Elena's voice hitched, looking him in the eyes. "If Icarus gets what he wants it's over, no more fighting, no more running. If he doesn't it's never going to stop!" she cried, her chin trembling.

Damon shook his head in incredulity. "How can you say that? This is your life we're talking about!" he pressed his eyes wide with a mixture of fury and panic.

Elena placed her hands over his. "But it's not just me, it's you and its Jenna, and Jeremy, and Bonnie and Stefan, it's everyone!" she paused to collect herself. "My life or all of yours."

Damon pulled her into his embrace, tucking her head under his chin. "Elena…you need to stop this. You are not sacrificing yourself for anyone, least of all me." He stroked her hair comfortingly.

"Damon-" she started.

"I just got you…" he whispered into her hair painfully. "There is no way I'm going to lose you. I know that's selfish of me, but I love you too much for my own good."

Elena continued to cry into his shirt. "I love you too." She mumbled sadly. Why was it that this had to happen to her? Every time she was happy something had to happen to ruin that. She'd finally found the love of her life…after everything they had been through, and now someone wanted to come along and rip them apart.

Damon rocked her gently back and forth as he softly caressed her hair and face. "There are other options, love."

Elena lifted her head to look up at him. "It doesn't feel like there are." Damon was about to say something when he turned his head quickly to the entrance of the room.

"Katherine." He greeted.

Katherine entered the room with a somber expression and a black eye. "What happened to you?" Elena asked pulling out of Damon's arms.

"He found me out, and he's none too pleased." She stated plopping into a chair. "He asked me to deliver a message." She paused for dramatic effect, watching the looks of interest in their faces. "Playtime's over."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The next day, Elena and Damon made some phone calls. Damon called Alaric and updated him, telling him to meet them at Elena's while Elena called Jenna and told her they needed to talk and would be there soon. Bonnie, Isobel and Tyler were updated and told to come to the Boarding House to stay with Stefan, Lucia and Caroline for safety. Elena figured it was time to tell Jenna everything, and having Damon, Jeremy and Alaric there to back her up relieved some pressure.

Jenna stared at Elena like she was crazy. "Honey…you need to stop watching scary movies before bed." she chuckled.

Elena rolled her eyes. "I'm serious Jenna. Vampires are real. Damon's a vampire and so are Stefan and Caroline. Bonnie's a witch and Alaric is-"

Jenna perked up mockingly. "Let me guess…a werewolf!"

Alaric frowned. "No…I'm nothing supernatural, just your run of the mill vampire hunter." He contributed.

"Yup, he's a regular Buffy Summers…you know without the super powers, or fashion sense, or witty comebacks." Damon joked listing things off on his fingers.

Jenna shook her head. "I don't believe this! This is way too Anne Rice for me." She was feeling overwhelmed with all this new information.

"Believe it Jenna…what about all that stuff Jonathan Gilbert wrote in his journal, or the 'animal attacks' recently? Piece it together and it all fits." Jenna seemed to think this over. "Damon show her." He suggested.

He shrugged. "Okay." He leaned closer.

Elena smacked his arm. "Don't Damon, you're going to scare her." She scolded.

Damon turned to his girlfriend. "Sometimes you have to see it to believe it. If she's scared, she should be." Damon turned towards Jenna again and observed her face turn pale and blank as she watched his face change. "We are not the people you should be afraid of Jenna…there are much scarier things walking around town right now that want us dead so you need to be careful." He started seriously. "You can't stay here anymore, it's not safe. Do not come back here." He stressed. "Pack up a bag, grab what you need…you and Jeremy are going on a little trip."

Jeremy frowned. "What? I'm not leaving!" he exclaimed.

Elena nodded sadly. "Yes you are Jeremy. It's not safe for either of you here."

"What if Icarus finds us? He knows you're memories he's probably reading them right now." He argued.

"That's why you can't tell us where you're going." Damon affirmed. "We'll keep in contact but no information about your whereabouts should be mentioned." He said with authority. "Trust me, you will be safer if you go."

Jenna glanced at Damon. "Well what about Elena…shouldn't she come with us?"

Elena shook her head. "I can't. He wants me; if I go with you I'm just going to be putting you in danger." She laced her hand with Damon's. "Please, please understand why you have to do this…we can't take anymore chances."

Damon handed Jenna an envelope. "There's enough money in there to take care of the flights and accommodations and anything you'll need along the way."

Jenna took it in her hands and opened it up. "Damon this is crazy, I can't take this from you."

Damon smiled tightly. "Yes, you can. If you don't I'll be force to compel you." He half kidded. "You should leave today; as soon as possible."

Jenna nodded, and so did Jeremy reluctantly. They both walked upstairs and started to pack. Elena, Alaric and Damon sat in anxious silence as the two of them moved about upstairs. "We should head back to the Boarding House, check on everyone else." Elena announced on a sigh.

"Yeah…I'll load up on weapons and meet you there." Alaric replied standing up.

"Be careful." Elena told him.

Alaric nodded with a smile that didn't quiet reach his eyes. He went to the stairs and took them two at a time and headed towards Jenna's room to help her pack and say goodbye. They all saw Jenna and Jeremy off, watching them drive away. Elena didn't know when the next time she would see her brother and her Aunt, but she hoped that this thing with Icarus ended soon.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Stefan walked into his room to see Lucia sitting on the edge of the bed talking animatedly with Caroline, who was sitting up and smiling.

"And it's not just now…he was like that as a kid too. Don't get me wrong though, he knows how to have fun, it just takes him a while to loosen up…and a bottle of Jack." They both laughed like little girls. "Hey brother…" Lucia turned to him with a smile. "I was just talking about you."

Stefan smiled. "I heard. Should I be worried?" he asked coming over to Caroline and dropping a kiss to her head before handing her a mug.

Lucia shook her head, her hair bouncing around by her face. "Nope! I like her Stefan, she's spunky…hold onto this one." Caroline smiled brightly and raised a brow at Stefan, who grinned back.

"Plan to. Caroline, you're looking much better." Stefan sat down on the other side of the bed and held her hand in his.

The blonde looked skyward. "And I _feel_ so much better. That potion worked like magic…well besides the fact that it was." She giggled at herself. "Anyways, I'm still not feeling a hundred percent, but sixty-five will have to do for now."

"I'm so happy to hear that." Stefan stated, giving her a quick kiss. "Damon and Elena just got home, she'd be happy to see you're feeling better…do you want me to send her up?"

Caroline shook her head. "Actually I'd like to go down there." Stefan was about to argue. "Please, Stefan? I need to get out of this bed and stretch my legs and I'm bored!" she whined.

Stefan chuckled. "Okay, okay…we'll go down stairs; I'll wait for you outside while you change." Both Lucia and Stefan got off the bed.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" she squealed. She got out of bed, slowly, trying not to push herself too hard.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"I hope this works." Elena stated as they walked into the kitchen.

"It'll work Elena. As long as they're away from here they will be fine." Damon comforted her, as he grabbed a water bottle of blood from the fridge and the orange juice for Elena.

They both turned to the door way when Stefan walked in with Lucia and Caroline. Her face was still a little pale but she looked healthier. "Caroline! Look at you, you're out of bed!" Elena exclaimed, rushing to give her friend a hug.

Caroline hugged her back fondly. "Yup, all better! Mostly anyway, the scar itches like crazy."

Elena nodded. "But the potion worked, that's great!" she took the glass of juice Damon offered her and sipped it.

Caroline eased herself into a chair. "And I'm totally here to help with this Ian guy." She said seriously.

Damon frowned in confusion, before swallowing his blood. "Icarus." He corrected.

Care turned to him and nodded. "Him too. Stefan's been updating me with what's been going on…this guy seems like a Grade 'A' asshole." She grabbed a couple of grapes from the bowl in the center of the table and popped them in her mouth. "Question though, extremely full house; Bonnie and Tyler I understand…but Isobel and _Katherine_?" she looked at Damon wide eyed like he was crazy.

Elena hopped up onto the counter and Damon stood in the space between her legs, leaning back on her. "Katherine's not _living_ here…she's just here, and so is Isobel. Freeloading, drinking my blood…which reminds me, I gotta go to the blood bank."

Elena looked down at him. "Again? But you just went the other day."

Damon glanced up at her. "Well after the fight with Icarus I had to chug back a few bags to heal, and Isobel drinks like a fish."

"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to speak ill of the dead?" Isobel asked slyly, as she strode into the kitchen. "Well isn't this a pretty picture." She commented looking at her daughter and her vampire boyfriend.

"The prettiest." Elena said with a sarcastically cheery voice, resting her head against Damon's and wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her hands on his chest.

Isobel swung her eyes to Damon. "I'll go to the blood bank; I need to get away from wolf boy over there." She jerked her head towards the living room. "He's got a mean temper." With that said, Isobel sashayed out of the kitchen and out the front door.

For the next twenty minutes, the whole group went over everything they knew about Icarus and possible counter attacks, but every road was a dead end. "Okay I have an idea…it may or may not work but it's something." Bonnie piped up looking up from the grimoire.

"What is it?" Caroline asked leaning over to look at the book.

"Well it's tricky but-"

Elena zoned out as she thought about Jenna and Jeremy. She hoped that everything was going okay and that they were safe. It couldn't hurt to call and check right? Elena turned her back on the group, and pulled up Jenna's number in her phone.

"Hello?" Jenna answered.

"Hey!" she said relieved. "How's the drive going? Has Jeremy completely taken control of the music yet?" she chuckled knowing every drive she had with Jeremy he would fiddle with her radio.

Jenna sighed pulled into the driveway. "Well we didn't get very far before we turned back; someone, and by someone I mean me, forgot her perfume. The vampire repellent one." She rambled, getting out of the car and walking up the porch to the door.

Elena's eyes grew wide. "Vervain…Jenna you can't go back, it's dangerous!" she shouted moving into another room.

Jenna unlocked the door and closed it behind her, tucking the phone between her shoulder and her ear. "I'll be in and out before you know it. Plus what if I run into a vampire along the way? That compelling thing sounds like no fun." Jenna moved upstairs and into her room, going to her dresser.

"Jeremy should have some. Where are you right now?" Elena panicked, looking up when Damon came into the room frowning in curiosity.

"I just walked into my room. Elena, I'm okay there's nobody here." Jenna grabbed the bottle and started heading back downstairs.

Elena bounced on her toes anxiously. "Please just hurry and get out of there."

"Okay, okay." She said. "God…Damon what are you doing here?" Elena heard from the other end of the line. Her head shot up to look at Damon, who had a look of realization on his face. He could hear Jenna.

"Jenna no it's not Damon! Run now!" Elena shouted into the phone. When she heard a scream on from the other end, Elena didn't have a chance to say anything before Damon grabbed her and ran.

They got to the house in less than two minutes, but it felt too long. Damon set her down in the driveway, and she rushed to the car to see if Jeremy was in there. He was jamming to his headphones.

"Jeremy!" she screamed. "Stay with Damon." He looked shocked, but nodded.

Damon grabbed her arm as she headed for the door, and she almost tripped as Damon's grip was stronger than her momentum. "You're not going in there." He established firmly.

Elena's eyes were a picture of fear and determination. "Jenna's in there, Damon! I'm going." She pulled out of his grip with all the force she had before running up the porch steps. "Stay with Jeremy!" She called back.

Elena burst through the door, and ran up the stairs. "Jenna?" she called frantically. She checked all the rooms. "Jenna?" She ran back down the stairs and into the kitchen. "Oh my God." She whimpered covering her mouth. She threw herself to the floor at Jenna's side. "No, no, no…Jenna?" she called out, her hands trembling as she touched her cold body. Her neck was turned at an odd angle and her eyes were open and lifeless. "No." she sobbed, hugging her aunt and pulling her into her lap. She sobbed painfully until her voice was hoarse but they died down a little and the sound of footsteps.

"I told Damon I'd start with her." Icarus stated leaning on the door jab. "I guess he didn't deliver the message. I hope Katherine did though." He pushed off the door and crouched down to her level. "That little stunt she pulled _really_ pissed me off, and I tend to take my rage out on others." He whispered with a lopsided smirk. Icarus chuckled when Elena glared at him hard, tears streaming down her face. He stood, and looked down at her. "Surrender…or Jeremy's next. Hello Damon." His eyes swung to Damon who materialized before him with Jeremy, standing protectively in front of him, Elena and Jenna. "Have you prepared to stand down?" Damon snarled in his vampire face, crouching into a defensive position. Icarus quirked his mouth to the side thoughtfully. "I'll take that as a 'no'. We'll be in touch." Icarus rushed out of the room out the back door, making it slam and break when it closed.

Jeremy and Elena cried together at the loss of their aunt, Elena trying her best to comfort him, while Damon tried his best to comfort her. It was a sad day in Mystic Falls; when the most innocent of them all, murdered to make a point.

A/N: Please don't hate me! Understand my reasons for doing this. One: Icarus is bad ass…he's not the character that makes threats that he fails to uphold. Two: Jenna's death seemed like the saddest one because she was so innocent and naive to the supernatural and I wanted the group to realize what her loss meant to them all. Three: People have to die in this story to make Icarus' character as evil as I want him. They can't be main characters because that would suck so I went with Jenna.

Anyways thank you for reading and I hope you liked it! Thank you for all your reviews you are awesome! Please review again and tell me what you think!


	23. Quarantine

Chapter 23: Quarantine

It was three days later and everyone was confined to the perimeters of the Boarding House grounds. It was too risky to go anywhere, and with Icarus able to shift into more than half of the house's occupants, no one was coming in. Bonnie's 'may-or-may-not-work' spell didn't work, although she promised to keep looking.

People were spread out all over the house. Elena, Damon, Bonnie and Isobel were researching all they could; Bonnie had her nose in the grimoire, and she practices spells, while Damon and Isobel argued about tactics and strategies and Elena sat there…staring at a book she wasn't reading.

She couldn't believe Jenna was gone. Jenna…sweet, innocent, carefree Jenna. Her name kept ringing in her ears like a siren. She was dead and it was all her fault. How could she live with that thought? She glanced at Damon who caught her gaze. She was so grateful for him. He handled everything, without question. The funeral, the paper work, the cost…Damon took care of, to save Elena from having to do it herself.

It was just her and Jeremy now. She was all he had. He had lost his parents, his girlfriends, his friends, and now his Aunt. She was afraid this was his breaking point. Elena's mind was going a mile a minute. _We're going to have to move, we can't live in that house. I'll need a job, so Jeremy can go to college. Everything is going to change, gonna have to act like a grown up…I have to be there for him, Jeremy needs me. _

"Elena." Damon's voice rang through her thoughts. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" Elena followed him into the kitchen and he stared at her for a long moment. "You're worrying…you don't need to worry." He claimed stepping closer to her and resting his hands on her slim shoulders.

Elena shook her head. "I'm not worrying." She lied.

Damon smiled. "Yes you are…I can practically see the wheels turning in your head. You're worrying about what happens next, and you don't have to because I'm going to take care of it." He vowed softly.

"I can't ask you to do that, Damon. I-I just don't know…" she paused searching for the right words. "_How_ I'm going to do all this!" she panicked. "How am I going to take care of Jeremy, where are we going to _live_-?" Elena rambled, her eyes jumping around the room wildly.

Damon put a finger to her lips to shush her. "You can live here." When Elena opened her mouth, Damon continued. "With Jeremy…you, me, him and Stefan can be one big happy." He said with mirth, before smiling reassuringly. "Stop worrying." He said again before kissing her sweetly with his full lips.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Caroline peeking into the room, Jeremy had settled in. He was sitting by the window with his headphones on staring into oblivion. She wished there was something she could say, or do but she wasn't very tactful, nor had she lost someone close to her.

She moved away from the door, and back into Lucia's room. "Hey." She plopped herself on the bed.

Lucia looked up from her book. "Hey! How's the kid?" she asked. Usually the loss of someone, especially a human didn't affect her, but the heartbreak on the boy's face reminded her of pain that she'd gone through when Harper died.

"Not good. He's just sitting there, staring." Caroline replied sadly. She'd known Jeremy since he was a baby; he was like a brother to her, and the sight of him this upset broke her un-beating heart.

"Maybe we should erase his memory of this…make it easier on him." She wished someone could have done that for her.

Caroline's eyes widened. "No! Damon did that once, and let me just say that it didn't turn out very well." She disclosed shortly. "Ugh this sucks! I hate this sitting around doing nothing…I want to go out!" she cried throwing herself back on Lucia's bed.

The older vampire laughed. "Yeah me too…but Damon's orders, 'no one come in, no one goes out'." She mimicked in a deep voice, before jerking her head to the far wall. "Stefan's pacing his room like a caged animal. He never could stay in one place for too long…he likes his morning runs." Lucia stated.

Caroline sat up and looked at Lucia sitting at the head of the bed. "Maybe I should go check on him…" she hopped off the bed. "I'm really glad we're friends, I don't have many, you know, in my afterlife." She joked with a nervous laugh. Lucia smiled happily, and watched as the bubbly blonde sauntered into the room next door. She was happy that Caroline was her friend too, they had a lot in common, and she also seemed to be changing her brother into this smiling, fun, untroubled man.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

As Lucia had said, Stefan was pacing the room in restlessness, wearing jeans and a white beater, but stopped as soon as he saw her there. "Hi." She walked over to him laced her hands with his.

"Hey, feeling restless?" she asked knowingly.

He nodded, smiling slightly. "Yeah, I never thought I'd consider my own home a prison." He hugged her to him, and inhaled the honey scent of her hair.

"I know…I hope this ends soon." She mumbled into his shirt. "I don't like Katherine being here…she lurks." She whispered.

Stefan nodded before kissing her forehead. "I know, but she's strong, and we could use her help." He claimed. "Speaking of, we should probably go downstairs and help plan retaliation."

Caroline pulled away and nodded. "Okay!" she planted a kiss on his lips. "Are you hungry? Do you want me to fix you a cup of blood?"

Stefan nodded gratefully. "Yes, I would love that. I'll meet you downstairs." He smiled fondly as she waltzed out of the room. He moved to his armoire, pulled out a hoodie and zipped it up. When he turned around he wasn't surprised to see Katherine standing there with her head canted to the side, her wavy locks tumbling off her shoulders.

"Still in denial, I see. Caroline, Stefan…_really_?" she mocked, giving him a disbelieving look.

Stefan didn't let her words affect him. "You don't even know her Katherine, Caroline is an amazing person…she challenges me." He smiled to himself.

She raised a brow at him. "Oh? And I don't?" she asked, placing a hand to her chest.

Stefan's face hardened. "You _dominate_ me…there's a difference." Katherine was always pushing her rules and authority on him, even now.

She rolled her eyes dramatically, crossing her arms over her chest. "Whatever Stefan." She breathed out before smirking tauntingly. "Don't tell me you love her, there is no way you love her."

"No…but I could." Stefan started, and then he chuckled to himself. "It's not like we don't have enough time." All he had was time. And if he was lucky, he'd get to spend a lot of it with this girl that seemed to sit herself directly in his life, his room and his heart.

Katherine shrugged carelessly, looking at her nails. "She won't..." her eyes pinned him icily. "if you keep up this _charade_."

He shook his head in bewilderment, glaring at her menacingly. "I can't believe you, is that how this works? You threaten to kill my girlfriends if you don't get what you want?" he barked.

"I'll do what I have to, Stefan." She stated casually. "I killed her once…" she trailed off with a sly smile.

Stefan nodded contemptuously. "Good plan Katherine…killing Caroline is a great way of gaining back my trust." He threw his arms out to the sides in a grand gesture. "Kill Elena too, maybe I'll even love you again." He continued to mock her faking a giant smile.

Katherine narrowed her gaze but her lips turned up slightly. "I like this new you. Less tortured soul, more snappy sarcasm. Is Damon rubbing off on you?" she asked provokingly. "You know Stefan, this thing…" she gestured to the two of them while she slowly stepped closer to him. "Where you pretend you don't love me, it's getting old."

He crossed him arms and looked down at her. "Maybe you should stop trying."

She threw her head back and laughed prettily, pointing at him astutely. "You'd like that, wouldn't you? See, that way you don't have to admit that your feelings for me never changed…that you only _loved_ Elena because she looks like me." She alleged using air quotations. Katherine threw him a dazzling smile. "Plus, why would I give up now when I'm so close to breaking you down?" She let her index and middle finger walk up his abs to his chest, but he threw her hand away. She chuckled, not taking it personally. Katherine held his gaze for a long moment before she sped out of the room.

Stefan sighed loudly. Why did she have to do this to him? Like his mind wasn't messed up enough as it was, Katherine had to come here to try and get him back, and threatening Caroline wasn't helping her any. Although he loathed admitting it, Katherine was partly right. If she stopped trying it was easier for him to stop wondering…wondering what it would be like to be with her again, to see what their long eternal life together would be like.

He shook himself out of his reverie, and headed downstairs.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Caroline skipped down the stairs and into the kitchen when she left Stefan's room. She set about grabbing blood from the fridge and heating the blood up in two separate mugs. She turned to look at the entrance of the kitchen before he walked in.

"Hey Tyler." She smiled sweetly, before whipping back around and disposing of the empty bags.

"Hey…" he said uncomfortably as he shoved his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. He'd been feeling weird around her ever since the day he found out she was ill. Over the past few days he continued to apologize, knowing that even though she said it was okay, he felt he couldn't say it enough. "I'm so sorry I almost killed you. I feel like a dick."

Caroline turned around and walked over to him, rolling her eyes dramatically. "It's okay…for like the _hundredth_ time." She giggled. "I'm fine now." Caroline patted his arm in a condescending way. "Just gotta remember to use more chains next time."

Tyler grinned gratefully. "You know Matt was right…you're pretty awesome."

The blonde beamed brightly. "Thanks. I know we haven't really been friends, but I'm glad we are now."

Tyler always noticed how beautiful she was, but he always thought she was too neurotic and controlling to even consider making a move. "Me too." In a bold move, Tyler tunneled his hand through her hair at the back of her neck and pulled her to him, kissing her eagerly.

She was so shock it took her a second to respond, pushing against his chest. "Tyler-" she started but didn't get to finish.

Stefan frowned in silent rage. "Caroline?" he questioned tightly.

She pulled herself out of Tyler's embrace and looked at Stefan with wide eyes. "Okay…at the risk of sounding totally cliché, it's not what it looks like." She promised.

Stefan blinked trying to calm himself down. He couldn't help but glare at the wolf boy though. "I hope not…cause it doesn't look good." He strolled into the kitchen and grabbed the mug of blood, draining half of it.

Tyler looked at both of them and made the connection quickly. "Are you guys…look I didn't know man." He claimed, addressing Stefan. He didn't want to get on his bad side. Tyler started to move past him but Stefan grabbed his arm and gripped it hard.

Stefan nodded once. "Let's just not let it happen again." He waited for Tyler to leave before looking at Caroline. She walked over to him hesitantly, unsure of what he was going to say to her. He held out an arm, welcoming her into his embrace and reassuring her that he wasn't mad. "Should I be worried?" he asked quietly.

She looked at him stunned, clearly not expecting that. "Not at all! Tyler's my friend, that's as far as it goes. I promise." When he seemed happy with her answer she gave him a playful grin. "You totally just got all 'protective boyfriend' on me. Uh oh…" her face fell a little. "I just put a label on it. I'm sorry, I don't want you to think that you _have_ to be my boyfriend or anything although that is pretty much what you are, but I know how guys get all weird and stand-offish as soon as you use the boyfriend/girlfriend card and I want you to know that I'm totally okay with-" Caroline rambled quickly.

Stefan just watched her. It was so cute how she rambled on like this, be he had to stop her…without having to breath she could go on forever. "Caroline…" she stopped and looked at him expectantly. "Stop talking." He grabbed her face tenderly between his hands, and passionately kissed her.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Alaric stood in the parlor alone. He nursed a scotch neat as he stared into the vivid flames. It seemed surreal that Jenna wasn't going to be a part of his life anymore. He never even expected to have the love for her that he did, but she took him by surprise.

She didn't crowd him, and let him do what he had to, to get over Isobel…and it was because of that Ric felt more drawn to her. Now she was gone…and both his loves were dead. One was still kicking though.

As if on cue, Isobel's heels clicked against the hardwood floor. Her hands were linked behind her back as she came to stand beside him in front of the fire. "Hello Ric." He didn't even look at her; he just took another sip of his scotch. "You haven't said a word to me since I got here." She looked at him inquisitively.

"I don't have anything worth saying." He replied flatly.

Her eyes swung to the fire. "I wish there was something I can say to make this easier for you…but I was never one for words."

Alaric huffed out a bitter snicker. "Yet you never stop talking." He drained half the glass.

Isobel's lips turned up in amusement. "You're mad at me…you have every right to be." She accepted respectfully. He felt he should know now…let him know that it was never because of him. "I was a horrible wife…I broke the promise I made to you." She stated sadly. "I was missing something; it was once I found it that I realized what a mistake I made." Alaric glanced sharply at her. "But I had already fallen down the rabbit hole, and the only way to protect you was to stay away." She reached out to him, touching his chest gently. "I'm sorry Ric…I never wanted this for you." Her head tilted to the side thoughtfully. "But you found it anyway."

He glared at her. "It found me. The only reason I know about vampires is because I was looking for you." She was the reason his whole life was upside down, but Alaric couldn't bring himself to hate her…because if she didn't turn his life upside down then he never would have come to Mystic Falls and met Jenna. "What do you want me to do with this information Isobel?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I just thought it was time you knew the truth. Anyways…I should be going. I'll leave you to…whatever it is you're doing." Isobel said flatly, losing what ever emotion was in her voice when she spoke earlier.

Isobel left the room, and let out an unneeded breath. She didn't want to see him hurting like this, even if it wasn't over her.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Damon walked up the stairs two at a time. It was late and he and Stefan had been talking in the basement about Katherine. Stefan was confiding in his elder brother about the uncertainty of the emotions he felt on the matter. Damon offered his ear and his opinions, something he never would have done pre-Elena.

Now he headed to his room, where Elena was no doubt asleep. He quietly entered the room and rid himself of his clothes, slipping on a pair of black sweatpants, and sliding under the covers beside her. Elena immediately curled herself around him unconsciously, resting her delicate hand on his chest. Her eyes opened to gaze at him.

Damon stroked her hair lovingly. "Sorry I woke you."

"It's okay." She murmured. "What time is it?"

"Late…or early, it depends how you look at it. Go back to sleep." He kissed her forehead and pulled her closer to him.

She shook her head against his chest. "I don't think I can right now…I keep seeing her lying there." Elena mumbled with a strain in her voice.

Damon didn't need to question who she was talking about, he just nodded knowingly, and continued to caress her softly. He noticed her breathing become quicker, and the small hitches coming from her mouth. She was crying.

Elena's cries quickly escalated to sobs, and then painful wails. She struggled to free herself from his grasp out of a combination of awkwardness and mortification, but Damon held her tightly, calmly whispering words of comfort in her ear.

"Let go of me, please." She whimpered out through her tears, pushing hard against his chest. She let her hair curtain her face, unable to show him how broken she was.

"It's okay, baby…just let it out. I've got you, just let it out." Damon whispered, rocking her in his arms. It broke his heart to hear her in pain like this but he knew she needed to let out the emotions that had been bubbling to the surface over the past few days.

Elena was pushing and pounding on his chest while simultaneously grasping at him. She wanted to be angry at him for making her let these feelings out, and showing him this side of her…the out of control part of her. She thought he would be uncomfortable with it…but he was the exact opposite. He totally got it; he understood her pain, and he held her as she came to terms with it. He let her take her rage out on him, pound on his chest and yell and cry and sob, and he never once tried to stop her. She needed this, and he was okay with it.

Once Elena's voice was too hoarse to cry anymore, and her tears had long dried out, Damon held her to him comforting feeling her heart pounding against his chest. He ran his fingers through her hair silently, kissing her every so often.

"I love you." She mumbled, close to sleep. "I'm sorry."

"Shh…don't be sorry, love. I love you too." He responded quietly. Seconds later Elena was sleeping soundly, and the room was quiet again. Damon stayed awake, watching for any sign of a restless sleep, and wishing that no more damage came to the slip of a girl in his arms.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A/N: Thank you everyone for reading, sorry for the late update. Another long chapter for you…mostly setting up for the next chapter so sorry if it's a little slow.

To Lilith: I couldn't respond to your review because you wrote anonymously . Thank you for your constructive criticism, and believe be I've thought the same thing: "I've made this guy unkillable! What the hell am I gonna do?' well I do have a plan and I do think you will enjoy it. I wanted to address the comment you made about Icarus not just snatching Elena up and doing what he wants, but I would ruin it. It will be brought up in the next chapter if anyone was wondering.

Lol and that thing about the originals and the cave, I know it was a stretch but I wanted it to work…it would if they were confused lol. Bonnie, Caroline and Tyler were 'fake tied up', so it gave the impression they were meant to be sacrificed.

And lastly thank you again for your input I hope all your questions will be answered in the next chapter! Love you guys! Please review!


	24. Best Friend

Chapter 24: Best Friend

_New York 1947_

_Damon walked through the hotel room door and shrugged out of his jacket and peeled his suspenders off his shoulders. He hated this place. It was nothing like the last, but he had to keep a low profile. Being new to town, Damon made the careless mistake of killing the mayor out of pure boredom. He was alone…and he missed Katherine. _

_He spent the past eighty-three years finding the means to get Katherine out of the tomb, but all sources told him he must wait for the comet to pass…which was another sixty-three years away. He wandered farther into the room, unbuttoning the first two buttons on his white collared shirt before pausing. _

_He heard footsteps approaching; quiet ones. It was probably that panicky bellhop from downstairs dropping of his newspaper and messages. Damon stalked back to the door and opened it quickly, wanting to frighten the poor boy again, but was surprised by who was on the other side._

"_So this is where you've been hiding." His little sister smiled prettily, looking at him from under her long wavy hair parted on the side. She was wearing a high waist pencil skirt with a white sheer blouse. _

_Damon smirked and opened the door wider for her. "I had a little too much fun…I killed the mayor, need to lay low for a while." He followed her to the window, where she stood looking out to the city. _

"_I wouldn't call this laying low." She commented, looking at the beautiful view. "You have the best few in the hotel." When Damon raised his brow, she elaborated. "I made a couple pit stops on my way up." She giggled. Lucia reached into her small purse and pulled out a cigarette and a matchbook, quickly lighting it and shaking out the flame. _

_Damon chuckled. "If you think this is nice, you should see my prior occupancy. Complete with two beautiful women to tend to my every need and feed." He widened his eyes slightly, as they twinkled with mirth. _

_Lucia took a slow drag, blowing out a plume of grey smoke. "Mm, that does sound nice." He gazed turned back out to the window. "I'm alone Damon." He voice changed automatically from playful to serious and vulnerable. "Living forever gets lonely if you do it by yourself." Her eyes swung to him, knowing he felt the same way._

_Damon blinked twice, keeping his face void of emotion. "You're not supposed to do it alone."_

_She took another drag and nodded. "Then let's not…there is an entire world out there for us to see. I'd rather do it with you than anyone else." Her lips turned up sweetly, silently asking Damon to accept her offer. "You can pick a town, a little one in France perhaps, I know you like the Mademoiselles." She suggested enticingly. "We can paint the town red?" she continued raising a brow. _

_Damon smirked already sold. "I do like the way the French taste…like the finest wine, mm." closed his eyes in recollection. "Yes…this sounds like a fantastic idea!" he picked up Lucia and spun her in a circle with her giggling all the while. "Oh, let's stop in Italy first; Stefan would be _thrilled_ to see us." He stated sarcastically. _

_She clapped her hands excitedly. It bothered her that Stefan had chosen to stop drinking human blood over four decades ago but it thrilled her to no end to torment him for it…and for a lot of other things. "Thank you Damon." She hugged him, feeling incredibly tiny in his arms. _

_A more serious voice came from her brother. "You are my best friend and my sister, Lucia…I'd do anything you'd ask." He said sincerely. Only Lucia was lucky enough to get this kind of attention, others were not as privileged._

_In a way she got her wish…she got to be a child forever._

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Wake up!" a loud voice called out as it entered the room.

Lucia groaned and buried her head in the pillow. "Go away!" she mumbled.

"Not gonna be that easy." Damon stated, throwing open the drapes to let the sun in. Just as she was about to pull the covers over her head but her brother snatched them away. "Come on…Stefan and I have to tail a lead and I need you to keep an eye on the two crazy ones." He explained talking about Isobel and Katherine.

Lucia sat up and rubbed her eyes, then shot Damon a hard stare. "You mean to one I hate and the one I hate more? Great…brilliant plan!" She threw herself back on the bed, her head hitting the fluffy pillow. "I'm hung over, I'm tired and I'm not in the mood to baby-sit…can't Caroline do it?" she whined with a small pout.

"Nooo, because she's scared shitless of Katherine." He explained pulling on her leg and tugging her down the bed from the bottom. He chuckled when she flailed for freedom.

Lucia scoffed. "Yeah and I'm not?" she asked rhetorically as she kicked away from Damon before she fell to the floor. "Ugh! Fine…I'm up!" she pulled herself together and stared at her brother who was smirking at her. "What?"

"You look funny when you're unkempt…" Damon turned around to leave the room. "Fix your hair before you go downstairs…you'll scare someone." She glared at his back as he wandered out into the hallway, the brought her hands to her hair sheepishly.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Jeremy sat in the kitchen staring down at his now cold coffee. He didn't even know why he came down here. He wasn't hungry, he didn't want to talk to anyone, but for some reason he found himself sitting here.

Lucia trudged into the kitchen barefoot wearing a pair of white cotton shorts and a black tank top and yawning. "Morning…" she greeted unenthusiastically.

Jeremy frowned. "It's 2:30." His voice was rough with misuse.

"Oh." She shrugged and moved to the fridge, grabbing a bag of blood, and stretching to grab a mug from the top cupboard. She fixed herself her 'breakfast' and turned back to glanced at Jeremy. "Are you going to be okay?" she asked bluntly.

He stared at her for a second, trying to decide if he was going to be honest with her. "What do you mean?"

Lucia rolled her eyes. "I mean you're aunt just died, are you going to be okay?" she reiterated frankly.

Jeremy swallowed the knot in his throat, glaring at her. "You ever heard of a thing called tact?" he asked pushing back tears.

She nodded. "Yeah…doesn't mean I use it. Look, I've been through what you've been through, I empathize, but I'm not going to sugarcoat and beat around the bush and what ever other analogy I can throw your way, because that's just what everyone else does to you." Lucia admitted taking a sip of her blood. "Just be straight with me."

Jeremy's lip quirked in admiration of her; he realized she wasn't trying to be rude, she was just direct. "I just feel empty…inside you know?" Lucia nodded. "Jenna wasn't even a part of this…it's just not fair that she had to get caught up in it." Jer responded dejectedly.

"It's usually those that aren't involved that always end up getting hurt. That emptiness…it's going to be there for a while, there's no escaping that. But I can tell you that over time it'll become more tolerable." She explained in a soft tone. She was lucky enough to be able to turn off her emotions; otherwise she would have been in the same boat as Jeremy.

"What no 'everything's going to be okay, things will look up soon' speech?" Jeremy shot at her a little more harshly than intended. That's all he seemed to be hearing lately.

"Why would I lie to you?" she replied, stating the question like a proclamation. Lucia drained the rest of her blood, putting the mug in the sink. "I'm going back to bed, if Damon asks I was up all day." She winked, and moved back upstairs leaving Jeremy alone again in the kitchen.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena and Caroline sat across from each other at the table in the living room, looking through Isobel's research and books…again. It seems like that's all they had been doing lately. Elena slammed another book closed. "We keep coming to these dead ends." She uttered in an annoyed huff.

"I know." Caroline agreed not looking up from the page in front of her. "Can't Bonnie do that brain popping thing?" she asked, vaguely waving a hand around her head.

"It doesn't work apparently, she already tried it." Elena responded grimly before reaching for another book. "We don't really know a lot about him, we have to be really careful. He's not just playing with us anymore…he's picking us off one by one." Elena's voice fell to a somber whisper.

Caroline looked at her friend sadly, before moving to a chair closer to her. "Elena…I didn't want to bring it up before because I didn't want to overwhelm you, but I'm really sorry about Jenna…how are you doing?" she asked apologetically placing her hand over Elena's.

Elena gave her friend a small smile that needed to be forced. "Dealing, sort of." She added as an afterthought. "There's too much going on to actually deal with it. I'm trying to keep myself busy, now is _not_ a time for a mental breakdown." She forced a nervous laugh. "Not to mention taking care of Jeremy; who is a mess. He's already lost so many people in two years; he must be so…she trailed off losing words.

Caroline squeezed her hand. "He's a strong kid, he'll pull through." She stated confidently.

"I hope so…I don't know how much more he can take." She sighed for her brother's obvious pain and for some kind of release from this…hell.

There was a moment of silence before Caroline spoke again. "Where's Damon? I thought he'd be with you." She hadn't seen Damon leave Elena's side for more than a minute since Jenna's death.

Elena nodded in agreement. "He would be…if I let him." She continued seeing Caroline's expecting stare. "I told him to talk the day off from Emotional Elena." She rested the side of her head on the open palm of her hand. "I kinda lost it on him last night; there was crying and punching, and he was totally okay with it…he just held me." She smiled softly at the memory.

"Well he loves you Elena…what did you think he'd do hit the ground running?" she asked a little sarcastically. _She_ knew Damon wouldn't leave her for the world, so Elena's surprise was unexpected.

Elena shrugged and shook her head. "No, I don't know what I thought. He's amazing Care…I don't know what I'd do without him." She said honestly. Her eyes widened at shot to Caroline when an ear piercing scream came from upstairs. "Call Damon." She called out as she ran as fast as she could up the stairs. She checked the rooms as she got in the hallway and halted at the door of Lucia's room. Katherine was already there snarling at the form crouching in the window.

Icarus snickered audaciously. "Two down." He sang before disappearing off the roof. Elena immediately ran to Lucia and pulled the stake out of her chest with shaky hands. "Oh my God." She whispered to herself. Lucia's body was ashen and lifeless before her.

Katherine looked on with a blank stare. She was sad…but not for Lucia, for Stefan and even Damon. Her head tilted to the side in curiosity of her little revelation before shaking it off. "I'm going downstairs…make sure he didn't come back." Katherine zipped out of the room leaving Elena alone.

She could hear the door slam downstairs and she knew Damon and Stefan were back. She stayed close to Lucia's body waiting for him to come upstairs.

"Caroline what is so important, we were onto something." She heard him say loudly, annoyed by her interruption.

"It's Lucia…we heard a scream-" Caroline told him.

A few seconds later Damon and Stefan ran into the room. Damon stopped at the door looking at Elena holding Lucia's body in shock.

"No…" Stefan ran to his little sister and touched her pallid face gently.

Elena watched the expression on Damon's face, and slowly stood to stand beside him. She grabbed his hand in both of hers, and cried. "I'm so sorry Damon. We heard her scream but it was too late…" he didn't respond, he didn't even look at her. His eyes were trained on his dead sister who was now being hauled into Stefan's arms. "Damon?" she questioned.

Stefan stood with Lucia in his arms, cradling her like the child she still was. "I'm going to bring her downstairs." He choked out, not bothering to hide his tears. Despite all their differences and disagreements he still loved her, and he regretted not telling her when he had the chance.

"_Fine." She surrendered starting to walk to the door before turning around. "You know Stefan, I may have been furious at you for all these years…but you're still my brother, and I still love you." When he didn't reply or even look at her, Lucia left Stefan's room to go back to hers._

Stefan shook off the memory and hugged his sister closer.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Damon stared at the same spot, as a look of fury started to flush his face. His lips tightened into a thin line and his eyebrows knitted together painfully. He couldn't even see Elena before him he was so livid. "Damon…please say something?" she begged looking up at him desperately. "Is there anything I can do?" she continued, trying to be helpful.

Damon pulled away from her roughly, walking over to the window. "Please stop talking." He bit out flatly. "You need to leave now." He repeated those same words she's heard before, spoken in the same emotionless voice.

Elena stared at his back with tears streaming down her face. "No, don't do this…please don't shut me out." She pleaded, stepping towards him.

He turned his head to the side, barely looking at her. He was visibly shaking and his jaw was tense. "Elena…I'm not safe for you to be around right now." He claimed, explaining slowly.

She shook her head stepping closer. "No. I'm not leaving!" she insisted stubbornly.

"Elena!" Damon shouted warningly. Why wouldn't she just leave? Staying any longer was putting herself in danger.

Elena continues to step closer until she's right behind him. She slowly reaches out and places her hand on his shoulder, soothingly rubbing his tense muscles. She gave him a moment to get used to her touch before wrapping her arms around him and resting her cheek on his back. "If you have to scream, scream…" she started quietly, kissing his shoulder. "Tear the room apart if you have to…but I'm not going anywhere." She persisted.

Damon closed his eyes holding back tears. He clenched his jaw tightly and pulled Elena's arms off of him. He paced in front of the window, trying to calm himself down; his eyes roamed the room unable to focus on one thing. His sister was dead…really dead. Icarus killed his sister, and he was slowly unraveling because of it. His eyes flickered to the floor where her body was before shifting away. He was vaguely aware that Elena was talking again but he had to tune her out…it was the only way he could tune himself out.

His eyes flickered to the nightstand and the picture sitting on it. He stormed over and snatched it up, looking at the self taken photo of him and Lucia. It was taken only a few years before he came to Mystic Falls. They were standing in front the Sannicandro di Bari Castle in Italy over-posing for the camera. It was a great day.

_A more serious voice came from her brother. "You are my best friend and my sister, Lucia…I'd do anything you'd ask." He said sincerely._

When those words rang through his head, a hot wave of rage coursed through him. With a savage roar, Damon hurled the picture at the far wall causing Elena to jump and glass shatter everywhere. He howled loudly, his face changing, and flipped the bed and its entire frame off the floor, forcing it to hit the wall and the ground with a resounding thunder on noise.

Elena watched in horror as Damon lost it, hollering and breaking things in the room, punching holes in the wall large enough for her to fit through. But she didn't stop him. Not because she was scared, although she was, she was scared for him…but she let him do it because he needed to…just like she did. When Damon finally stopped, he shook and panted as he came back to himself.

He locked eyes with her, and there was no way he could stop the tears now. She ran to him and he melted in her arms, crying silently into her hair. "She was my best friend." He mumbled desolately in a quiet voice.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A/N: So sorry for the late update I've been having a little trouble writing a certain part. Anyhoo I pushed it out! This was a hard chapter for me to write because I loved Lucia but it's a breaking point for Damon I believe. The next chapter might be the one with the confrontation with Icarus, so be prepared! I decided to do a flashback to the 40's lol not the 80's…I hope you like it! Please review! Thank you guys, you're awesome

Vanessa


	25. The Efficiency of a Witch

A/N: Sorry for the late update. I hope all your questions will be answered in this chapter, and I hope you appreciate the fight scene and how I dealt with it. Some ppl we're asking about a J/B ship…enjoy! I'm sorry, I know you guys liked Lucia I did too :( it was a sad loss. I've only got a few more chapters coming up and then I'll be on vacation. If I have time to write on the road then I'll post another story that I'm working on called 'The Rope'. Enjoy the chapter and please review!

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Chapter 25: The Efficiency of a Witch

Elena sighed sadly watching Damon standing motionless outside. He and Stefan had just buried their baby sister and he stood in the fading sunlight staring down at the ground they put her in. She wanted so badly to go to him, but she knew that he needed his space right now. Elena plopped down on the couch feeling utterly numb.

Jenna was dead, Lucia was dead…she didn't even want to think about who could be next. She looked up when Bonnie sat down beside her. "Hey." She started quietly. The whole house was quiet; it felt too weird to speak louder than a whisper. "I think I'm on the something. Is Damon around?" she asked hesitantly.

Elena motioned with her head to the back garden. "He's in the garden, probably best not to bother him right now…what's up?" Elena sat up a little straighter preparing herself for Bonnie's news.

Bonnie reached into a large silk bag and pulled out a couple trinkets, handing one to Elena and keeping the other for herself and concealing it in her jean pocket. "Glamours; they're to disguise our thoughts, so Icarus doesn't know what our next move is." Bonnie explained with slight excitement. She was happy that finally all her hard work paid off.

Elena smiled happily. "Bonnie that's brilliant!"

She shrugged modestly. "I didn't want to say anything until I was sure I could do it. I fashioned one for all of us." She showed Elena the rest in the silk bag.

Elena hugged her friend tightly. "Thank you so much. Finally a step forward…Damon will be pleased to hear this." She stated hesitantly. She knew this would make him moderately happy but she knew it wouldn't be enough to make the pain go away.

Bonnie pulled away and smiled. "I'll round everyone up to tell them the good news."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Stefan stepped out into the garden staring silently at his brother's back. He'd been out here for a couple hours now and the sun was falling beyond the horizon. "Hey…" he called out but Damon didn't move. "Bonnie asked to see all of us; I think she came up with something." Stefan stated gently hoping to grab Damon's attention.

"He was sending a message." Damon claimed somberly, not even bothering to turn around. "I've been going over this a million times in my head…and he was sending a message."

"What are you talking about?" Stefan asked stepping closer to Damon.

Damon whipped around to glare at his brother. "Lucia! He didn't kill her to get to Elena…he wants me to give her up. This is all just a game to him! He wants _us_ to decide who lives and who dies, because either way we lose!" Damon shouted a vein popping out of his forehead.

"Damon-" Stefan started in an attempt to calm him down.

"Stefan!" Damon bellowed desperately. "Our sister is dead…there is nothing you can say to make this better." Damon stormed past him and into the house taking a moment to collect himself in the kitchen before finding Elena.

He found Elena in the living room with everyone else. She was sitting on the couch which was also occupied by Jeremy, Caroline and Alaric sitting on the arm, so he sat on the floor in front of her letting her run her fingers through his hair. Isobel and Katherine sat together on the other couch, while Tyler stood and so did Stefan.

Bonnie stood in front of the fireplace before everyone, pulling out the talismans from her bag. "Okay before we start, put these on." She handed them out to everyone.

Damon looked at his curiously. "What are _these_?"

"Talismans." She replied shortly.

Katherine raised it in the air in front of her holding it with two fingers. "It doesn't go with my outfit." She claimed arching her brow high.

Caroline giggled nervously. "Yeah they are kinda tacky, Bon." She admitted playing with the feathers dangling from it.

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "It's a glamour…as long as it's on you Icarus is clueless; completely blocked out of our minds." She stated confidently.

Alaric grinned. "Bonnie that's great! How did you come up with this?" he looked at his with interest, studying it like only a teacher can.

"A combination of a couple of spells lots of practice and a few nosebleeds." She rushed uneasily. Jeremy gave her a look that said he didn't approve. He'd been trying to tell her to take it easy on the spells but she wouldn't let up. She knew he was worried for her safety, and a part of her was comforted by that.

Damon caught Bonnie's eyes. "You are a witchy genius." He told her sincerely.

She gave him a half smile. "Thanks. So after reading the grimoire front to back a million times, something jumped out at me…literally." She added as an afterthought. She figured it was a sign or something from Emily. _Could've jumped out earlier,_ She thought to herself. "It's a binding ritual." She started.

Stefan frowned. "To bind what?"

Bonnie glanced up at him. "To bind Icarus to his true form. I don't know how long it will hold for but it should be long enough to do some damage."

"I'm guessing we're doing the damage…lovely, I've been itching for a good fight." Isobel piped up sarcastically. She knew she wasn't the fighter type, and if he could overpower Katherine and kill Lucia then it wouldn't take much effort for him to cast her off.

"So how are we going to get him out in the open?" Alaric questioned, stuffing the talisman in his pocket.

"Me." Everyone looked at Elena like she was completely barmy. "I'll pretend I'm surrendering, it's what he wants anyway." Elena stated bravely. "He wants me to make the decision to come to him on my own…otherwise he would have taken me by now, he's had many chances to!" she exclaimed, feeling like she was finally able to do something instead of letting everyone protect her. "We'll make him believe he won, that way we catch him off guard." She concluded with determination. Elena could see Damon looking up at her with worry, but concealed to everyone around them.

Isobel shook her head slightly staring at Elena. "I don't know if putting you out there like that is the best idea." She opposed gently.

Elena's eyes swung to her mother. "Got any other ones? 'Cause by all means I'd like to hear em'." She ground out exasperatedly. "Look I can handle it." She glanced down at her boyfriend confidently. "Damon I can handle it." She wanted to put him at ease that she was able to do one thing. Just this one thing.

Damon sighed in resignation. "We'll be right there if anything goes wrong." He promised lacing his fingers with hers.

They waited until night fall to hunt down Icarus. They figure the first place to check was the address left on the post it. Elena drove in her car with Damon and Bonnie; Katherine, Isobel and Stefan were running and Jeremy, Caroline and Tyler drove with Ric in his car.

They pulled up out front the house and sat there for a moment. "They're set up around the house, they'll be able to hear what's going on inside so you're not alone." Damon stated talking about the other vampires, easing her nerves when he noticed her gripping the steering wheel tightly.

She nodded smiling at him briefly. "Okay…I love you." She whispered squeezing his hand firmly. She turned to Bonnie in the back. "Thank you so much Bonnie…we wouldn't be able to do this without you."

The witch threw her friend a lopsided smirk. "No pressure or anything." She sobered up and nodded. "You're my best friend; what kind of a friend would I be if I didn't have your back?"

Elena smiled thankfully. "Okay…I'm going now." She took her seatbelt off and reached for the door.

Damon grasped her arm and made her look at him. "I love you too." He replied back. He didn't really feel comfortable expressing his love for Elena in front of anyone, least of all Bonnie. But Damon wanted Elena to know that he was willing to bare the discomfort for her. He got a beaming smile for it. That's all he wanted…she was so sad these last few days he just wanted to see her smile. Who knew all it took was for him to say he loved her?

Elena got out of the car, and wrapped her arms around herself as she walked up to the doorsteps. She didn't bother knocking; she just turned the knob and took in a shaky breath before entering. The halls were dark, but Elena followed the soft glow that came from the living room.

"Elena…it's such a pleasure to see you." Icarus greeted smoothly from the couch. He had one leg crossed over the other and his hands sat laced in his lap. "How is Damon doing? Did he receive my message?"

Elena tried not to let her voice waver. "You wanted me…I'm here. Let's get this over with."

Icarus frowned disappointedly, before gracefully standing. "But what's the fun in that? I wanted to play more." He faked a pout sardonically.

Elena's eyes narrowed into slits. "Playtime's over, weren't you the one who said that?" she questioned callously. She kept her distance; she didn't want to be any closer to him than she had to.

He quirked his mouth to the side thoughtfully. "Not exactly." He stepped forward, but stopped when Elena took a step back. "Being in Damon's body for as long as I was has influenced my decision of killing you." He stated with casual confidence.

Elena's brow furrowed in confusion. "So now you don't want to kill me?"

The shapeshifter smirked. "Oh…I do, but I have other plans first." His shoes tapped on the hardwood floor as he wandered closer. "You affect him in a way I've never felt before…it intrigues me, I'd like to study it further." Elena didn't need him to elaborate to know what he was talking about. He stopped once he was towering over her. Elena couldn't keep her breathing from coming out in sharp pants. "You're scared, that's good." He reached out to touch her face but she pulled back. "You know…you're being awfully quiet, even your thoughts are blank." He mentioned in interest.

"No they aren't…" she replied standing straighter and looking him dead in the eyes. "You just can't read them."

He laughed. "That's preposterous! It's impossible." He digressed. There was no way that he couldn't get into her mind; he had already touched and connected with her.

Elena grinned haughtily. "It's really great to have a witch on your side in times like these." Icarus looked a little perturbed. "They have all those fancy tricks; very efficient." She continued to taunt. It felt good to have the upper hand.

A heavy feeling fell over Icarus and it slowed his movement as he tried to reach out to her. "What's happening? What did you do?" he demanded angrily. The heaviness molded itself into a translucent yellow band around his arms and midsection, pinning his limbs from freedom.

Elena lifted her finger and pointed at him. "Ah, now you're asking too many questions." She unknowingly reiterated his previous words to Katherine. She saw the hard concentration etched on his face. "If you're trying to shift, it's pointless. You might wanna save your energy for the fight."

"What fight?" he bit out struggling relentlessly.

Damon, Stefan and Katherine burst in the door first, fists and fangs ready. "The one where we kill you." Damon chimed in cheerfully. Bonnie stalked in chanting and focusing all her energy on Icarus. She raised her hands and tensed them, causing the band to tighten and strangle Icarus more. He fought it hard; twisting and turning in the constricting force field. The vampires attacked; Stefan throwing punches, Katherine biting viciously on his neck, and Damon kicked him in the knee, snapping it backwards. Icarus hollered and dropped to the ground. Isobel entered with Alaric; she jumped into the fray draining his blood and energy from him, while Alaric shot arrows at him.

Bonnie focused harder, and the band turned from yellow to green. Icarus sent out bursts of energy from within himself in an effort to free the band from around his body. The more energy he put out, the greener the force field around him got, and the stronger it got, squeezing around him like a boa constrictor throttling its prey. He was unknowingly strangling himself with the force of his own energy.

Icarus howled loudly, putting out the last of his energy. The band melted into a vibrant green before the force field and Icarus exploded, resulting in body parts and matter splattering everywhere.

Everyone stepped back in surprise looking at the room and the bloody mess on the floor.

Caroline flicked a chunk of flesh off her shirt. "Eww…" she shook in revulsion.

Katherine looked at Icarus' head spilt open at her feet. "That was disgusting…and I've seen a lot of disgusting things in my time." Her eyes roamed the room spattered with pink and red.

Damon nudged Icarus' head away from them with his bloody boot. "That was so much easier than I thought it would be." He commented to himself before looking up to see if Elena was okay. She was rushing to Bonnie.

"Bonnie? Bonnie!" Elena exclaimed. Her friend was standing there staring blankly in front of her. "Bonnie…are you okay?" Elena placed her hands on Bonnie's shoulders to grab her attention.

Bonnie snapped out of it and looked at Elena like a deer in headlights. "Huh? Yeah…I'm good." She nodded shakily. She spotted the mess before her and her lip curled up. "Gross."

Stefan wiped his bloody hands on his jeans. "What was that?"

Bonnie shook her head in amazement. "I think I was channeling Emily."

Katherine sighed loudly getting everyone's attention. "That's great, can we go now, I'd like to wash his brains off my boots." She lifted one foot and cocked her head to the side with a small pout. Both Damon and Elena rolled their eyes.

Isobel glanced at Alaric who swallowed uneasily and pulled on his collar. She knew that was the sign he was feeling nauseous. "Ric, are you okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah, it's just…that's not something you see everyday." He nodded to the walls but he didn't dare let his eyes wander.

Damon wrapped Elena in a tight hug and she sighed contently in his embrace. They were safe. "Elena are you alright?" he asked, worry laced in his tone.

She nodded against his chest. "I'm fine, you?" he nodded against her head before she pulled away to look up at him. "I'm worried about Bonnie though…she doesn't look good." They both glanced at the witch, who was looking more than a little pale. She was standing there, swaying slightly before collapsing. Damon rushed over and caught her before she hit the ground.

Jeremy ran over and wiped the blood that dripped from her nose. "Bonnie!" he called out but she had already lost consciousness.

"Let's get her to the car." Damon carried her out to the car, easing her into the backseat of Elena's car, with her head resting in Jeremy's lap. Caroline and Tyler got went back with Alaric, and Katherine, Isobel and Stefan ran back to the boarding house.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Her eyes were blurring when they opened for the first time. Light was shining into the room and her head was pounding. "Oh…ow." She mumbled, bringing her hand to her forehead.

Jeremy smiled in relief. "Hey, you okay?" he asked handing her a glass of water.

Bonnie took it graciously and gulped half of it down. "I think so…what happened?"

"You passed out…again." He told her shooting her a mock glare. "You had us all worried."

She pushed herself into a sitting position on the bed, leaning against the headboard. "It was a big spell, I'm fine." She lied to appease him. Truth was, she was feeling very worn out.

Jer shook his head and frowned. "Bonnie, I can't keep on watching you do this to yourself." He knew that practicing as much magic as she had been lately wasn't good for her body and he thought back to a conversation he had with her at the masquerade ball; about how it doesn't end well for people like her.

Bonnie smiled. "I'm okay, I promise." She put her hand over his in reassurance, and hid the shock of the tremor that shot threw her.

Jeremy was looking at her in a way that she wasn't familiar with. "I care about you Bonnie. I don't need another person I care about dying on me." He declared honestly.

She swallowed and gazed at him with slight fear in her eyes. "Then maybe you shouldn't care about me." She whispered her voice not able to come out any louder than that.

Jer chuckled dryly. "It's a little late for that." His eyes searched her face for any sign of resistant, but couldn't find any. He leaned in slowly, in anticipation of her rejection. Only she didn't move at all. His lips grazed her tentatively, bringing a hand up to her face when she kissed him back.

"Jeremy why don't you-" Elena's voice sounded around the corner, she stopped when she entered the room. She caught Jeremy pulling away and Bonnie ducking her head, her curtain if dark hair covering her face. "Oh…um- I'm sorry." She stuttered shocked. "I'm gonna…yeah." She turned and rushed out of the room.

Bonnie sighed and jumped off the bed, leaving Jeremy behind. "Elena! Elena wait, what you saw-" she tried to explain.

Elena spun around. "Bonnie, I'm not judging you. I was just…surprised." Elena's eyes wandered, a little uncomfortably. She just caught her best friend and little brother kissing…it was a little weird.

"It was nothing really." She argued with a roll of her eyes and a wave of her hand.

Elena caught her friend's eyes. "You don't have to lie to me. If you like Jeremy, I'm fine with it." She pushed out with a little trouble. "Just don't hurt him…that's all I ask." With that said, Elena walked back to Damon's room.

Bonnie stood in the hallway thinking about what she said. Was it just nothing? Was she really having feelings for Elena's _younger_ brother? But Jeremy wasn't a kid anymore, was he?


	26. The Answer

Chapter 26: The Answer

A/N: Okay so I'm sorry to say guys this is the last chapter :( I'm sad to see this story end but I didn't want to drag it on forever. I may do a three chapter tops sequel…flashing forward some years. But it all depends on your reviews! ;) I hope you liked the way I ended it, if you don't…eh! Lol please review and let me know if you're on board for the sequel!

Love you guys, you are awesome I'm so thankful for all your support and all of you dedicated readers!

P.S: I have a new story coming soon called **The Rope**. Please check it out it's gonna be good! Thanks!

Vanessa

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**One Month Later**

Icarus was dead, and life was slowly getting back to normal. Bonnie, Tyler and Alaric all returned to their homes, Isobel was staying in a place just outside of Mystic Falls, Elena and Jeremy moved into the boarding house and Caroline was here whenever Stefan was…which was a lot.

Jenna's funeral was a couple weeks ago; she was cremated and buried beside Elena's parents. Damon was there to support her the entire time, holding her hand and answering questions people continued to ask her: 'What happened? Are you okay? Where are you going to live? You poor thing.'

Katherine had left shortly after defeating Icarus, something everyone was relieved about. She wasn't trying to kill them but her presence still made them all uncomfortable.

Stefan waltzed in the door with Caroline after going for a run, both of them laughing and holding on to each other. "That is so funny!" Care giggled. "I couldn't even imagine you in the 80's, with the hair and the clothes!"

Stefan nodded in acceptance. "Yup, it was bad...a part of my life I never want to relive again." He chuckled. They moved into the parlor room and stopped stunned.

Katherine turned around from the fire with a glass of blood in her hand. "Hello Stefan. I hope you don't mind I helped myself." She took a sip and focused her eyes at the blonde. "Caroline."

Stefan felt his girlfriend grip his hand a little tighter. "What are you doing here Katherine?"

She smiled sweetly. "Just visiting. I wanted to talk to Caroline actually."

Stefan shook his head. "Not happening."

Katherine strolled up slowly placing one foot in front of the other. "Come on Stefan…it's just girl talk, I promise…Caroline doesn't mind, do you Caroline?" her eyes swung to the blonde's dangerously.

Caroline took an unnecessary deep breath. "It's okay, Stefan. I'll talk to her."

Stefan turned to her and shook his head. "Care…you don't have to do this because she demands it." He tucked a curl behind her ear, and ignored Katherine's roll of the eyes.

Caroline nodded. "I know…I'll be fine." Stefan kissed her once before glaring at Katherine as he left the room. "What do you want Katherine?" she questioned harshly.

The older vampire smirked. "Who says I want something?"

Care raised an eyebrow. "Don't you always?" She crossed her arms over her chest and watched Katherine carefully.

She shrugged. "True." Katherine stood right in front of Caroline staring her down. "This thing with you and Stefan…enjoy it while it lasts because it _will_ end. You don't love someone for a hundred and forty-five years and then just stop." She explained confidently.

Caroline smirked back feeling buoyancy she never felt in Katherine's presence. "Damon did." She shot back.

Katherine grinned and looked at her from under her lashes. "And look at his choice in a lover. The Salvatore's will forever be wrapped up in the web of a Petrova…a Forbes doesn't fit anywhere in that equation." She said snidely. Katherine giggled when the blonde stayed silent. "I'll be seeing you Caroline. Bye Stefan!" The elder vampire called out before she sped out of the house leaving Caroline stunned.

She couldn't help but feel like Katherine was right. How does one love another for so long and then just stop? Stefan came back into the room with his hands shoved in is pockets. "Don't listen to her, okay?" he told her with worry on his face. Stefan didn't want her feeling threatened by Katherine.

"How can I not, Stefan…she has a point." She admitted sadly.

Stefan shook his head. "No, don't let her get to you, this is what she wants." He insisted rubbing his hands up and down her bare arms.

She rolled her eyes. "And doesn't she always get what she wants?" she asked rhetorically, holding back the tears that threatened to spill. She averted her eyes and pulled away from him. "I have to go." She turned to leave but Stefan grabbed her arm. "Please Stefan?" she begged quietly. So this is what it was like for Elena…to be so afraid to be with him for fear that Katherine would go to extreme measures to get him back. "I just need to go home…be alone."

Stefan nodded somberly, letting her go and watching her quickly walk out the door.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena sat on Damon's bed cross legged and facing Damon who was in a similar position. "Are you ready?" Damon asked her seriously.

Elena nodded taking a deep breath. "Yeah, I'm ready." She scooted a little closer to him.

"How do you wanna do this?"

"Quick." She replied. "Like a band-aid."

Damon shook his head as he rolled up his sleeve. "I can't believe I'm doing this." He mumbled to himself.

Elena reached out and squeezed his hand. "I know this must be hard for you." She felt bad that she was making him be the one to do this but she wouldn't have it any other way.

Damon pinned his gaze on her. "I'm about to kill my girlfriend. Hard doesn't even _begin_ to describe what I'm going through." He huffed, letting his fall to the duvet cover nervously.

Elena turned his face back to her and smiled brightly. "I'm coming back Damon…what are you so afraid of?" she was trying to be optimistic about this but she could tell Damon wasn't completely okay with this.

He rolled his eyes. "Nothing, it's stupid."

"Tell me." She demanded firmly.

He threw her a lopsided grin. "How do you do that? You're going to be really good at compulsion I know it." Damon sobered when she didn't fall for his attempt at throwing her off the subject. "I'm just afraid that…" he hesitated. "One morning, ten, fifty, a hundred years from now, you're gonna wake up and realize I'm not what you want anymore." He rushed out, locking his blue eyes on her chocolate ones.

She took his face in both her hands and crawled into his lap. "I'm doing this for you Damon, okay? I wouldn't leave you even in a _thousand_ years." She exclaimed happily kissing him soundly. Elena rested her head on his shoulder, nuzzling his neck with her nose.

Damon frowned in deep thought. "Ooh, well that's a long time; I might get sick of you by then." Elena pulled away to look at him with a gaping mouth. "All the nagging about missed anniversaries-" he continued to ramble, teasing her mercilessly.

Elena smacked his chest. "Damon!"

"I'm kidding!" he laughed. "I promise…I can deal with the nagging." He persisted.

Elena climbed off his lap and leaned back against the headboard. "I briefly considered offering you a vein…any chance you had at that just few out the window." She gestured to the window with her hand.

"Oh come on! You know I was joking." He prowled closer to her on his hands and knees, pinning her beneath him. "Let me have a taste."

Elena pushed against him playfully. "Not when you say it like that…creepy, stalker guy." She let her hands rest on his chest, running up and down his abs.

Damon raised a brow devilishly. "You know there's another way of doing this. The sexy, less painful way." He waggled his brows in the way that made butterflies flutter in her belly.

"And you know this from personal experience?" she couldn't stop the words from coming out, even though she knew she didn't want the answer.

"Well when I turned…" he started casually before cutting himself off. "Never mind."

Elena gave him a look of horror. "My mother?" she nodded to herself. "Yeah definitely out the window."

Damon sat back on his haunches. "Well you brought it up…you know my track record isn't even remotely spotless." He defended himself with a pout.

Elena sat up a little and played with her hands in her lap. "I know, but I didn't really care to hear about my boyfriend's sexual experience with my mother." She mumbled looking down to her lap.

Damon pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry. Never to be spoken about again, I promise." He vowed melding his lips with hers. "So how about we go out and do something? Get out, grab a bite…" Damon started to get up but Elena pulled on his arm.

She laughed. "If you think that was enough to distract me then you've been seriously misinformed." She pointed at the bed. "Sit." Damon made a show of rolling his eyes and plopping back onto the bed.

"Are you _sure_ you want to do this?" he gave her one last out.

"Absofuckinlutely." She repeated one of Damon's words. He smiled and brought his wrist up to his mouth, biting down with his fangs.

He brought it to Elena's mouth and she gripped his arm as drank down his blood. Damon loved the feeling of her drinking from him; it was exotic in a way he couldn't describe. She let go licking her lips clean and stared at him with lust in her eyes. "Let's do this the sexy, less painful way." She stated seductively.

She tackled him to the bed, straddling him and kissing him passionately. Damon wrapped his arms around her; tunneling his hand in her chocolate mane. He kissed down her neck, licking and nipping her gently relishing in her soft moans.

She straightened up and whipped her shirt off and threw it across the room. She brought her hands down to rake across Damon's chest, deftly undo the buttons. Once they rid themselves of their jeans Elena sunk down on him with a content sigh.

She let him manipulate her body, guiding her hips over him, but letting her have full control. Damon loved when she took control. Elena had so much fire in her and he loved watching her unload it on him. When she was close to her peak she rested her top half on him, her breast pressing against his chest, while her hips still grinded on his. Elena's neck was exposed to him. "Do it…" she panted in his ear. "Please." She begged.

Damon didn't have to be asked twice. He let his face change and bit gently down into her supple flesh. She moaned in pleasure instead of pain, as did he, letting her blood coat his throat. It was the most epic feeling ever for both of them: moving together and so wholly being a part of each other, sharing an intimate moment like this.

Elena's walls fluttered around him and he held her tighter as he climaxed with her. He could feel her heart rate slow but knew he couldn't stop. He had to keep drinking while she was still high with euphoria.

She was limp against him but her heart was still beating slowly, her face peaceful like she was sleeping. When he was done drinking, he rolled her to the side gently. He brushed her hair away from her face. She opened her eyes slightly and a small smile graced her lips.

"See you soon." She whispered. "Love you."

Damon couldn't stop the tear that fell. He gave her a lasting kiss before lying down beside her, and listening to her heart beat fade.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Are you insane, Damon? Why-why would you do that?" Stefan shouted in the kitchen. Damon had come downstairs to grab Elena some blood for when she woke up.

"Because she asked me to, Stef." He replied calmly. "What am I supposed to say 'No Elena…get old, live your life, but don't worry I'll still be here, _taunting_ you with the life you _could've_ had', come on Stefan…this is what she wants, who am I to deny her?" he leaned on the counter crossing his arms.

Stefan glared at him. "You killed her Damon! You took her life; I hope you can live with that." He yelled angry at his brother for making this big decision and not telling anyone.

Damon shrugged. "If she can live with it then so can I. You think I didn't try to get her to change her mind, I tried but she was dead set on it. No pun intended." He added as an afterthought and with a smirk. Damon sobered up. "It wasn't easy…letting her die. Every part of me was desperate to save her life…but this is what she wants. We both have to except that." Damon grabbed the glass and headed back upstairs.

He entered his room to see Elena sitting cross legged in the middle of his bed. She looked up and grinned at him. "Hello there."

Damon smiled back, leaning against the door frame. "Hey, how do you feel?"

Elena shrugged. "Really good actually…I'm starving though." She complained, putting a hand to her stomach instinctually.

Damon smirked. "I can fix that." He walked over and handed her the glass, sitting on the bed beside her.

Elena looked at the glass in interest, cocking her head to the side. "Is it human?" she asked as she took the glass from him.

Damon nodded. "Yeah, wouldn't want you to end up losing it like a certain someone. Plus you need human blood to fully transition." Elena cautiously brought it to her lips, licking them and tasting the blood there. As soon as the blood hit her tongue, Elena eagerly guzzled down the rest of the glass and wiped the remaining blood off her lips. "Someone's hungry." He teased.

Elena mock glared at him then frowned when her face tightened. "What's happening?" the white in her eyes turned red, and the skin underneath protruded with veins.

"You're in transition." Damon took the glass out of her hands and put it on the nightstand, then held her hands in his.

"Ugh!" she moaned as her fangs grew out of her gums, causing pain she'd never felt before.

Damon wrapped an arm around her, soothingly rubbing her back. "I know, I know…just relax." Elena swallowed hard, and exhaled slowly. Once she had calmed down her fangs receded and the skin under her eyes smoothed out. "There you go, all better."

Elena glanced at Damon with worry in her eyes. "Is that going to happen every time I drink blood?"

"The pain is over, but you're face will change, after some time your body will be able to control it." He explained, brushing the hair out of her face.

The new vampire glanced at the closed curtains. "What about the sun situation? Am I housebound again?" she joked.

Damon grinned. "Nope. I already got it covered. Bonnie spelled you a ring." He watched Elena's face light up with excitement.

"Can I see it?" she asked sitting up straighter. Damon reached into his front pocket and held it out on his palm for her to see. "Wow…it's beautiful!" The ring was white gold and hugged a rounded triangle-cut red diamond surrounded by small diamonds. She slipped it on her ring finger. It fit perfectly.

Damon gazed lovingly at her. "It's a red diamond…they're pretty rare." He admitted.

Elena's head shot up to look at him. "It's a little extravagant for a daylight ring, don't you think?" she questioned narrowing her gaze at him.

Damon widened his eyes playfully. "Maybe it's not just a daylight ring." He relished in the way her mouth dropped open and she jumped into his lap.

"Is this what I think it is?" she prodded, straddling his lap and linking her arms around his neck.

"Well, what do you thing it is?" This was so much fun for him. He loved seeing her get so excited, especially when he was the one that made her that way.

Elena looked at her hand, and the diamond glistening brightly. "Is this an engagement ring? No, it's not…" she shook her head in absurdity. "Damon Salvatore, popping the question." She laughed to herself before sobering up. "You aren't…are you?"

Damon shrugged. "I might be…really depends on your answer." He squeezed her hips a little, uncharacteristically nervous about her answer.

Elena's face lit up, but she quickly hid it, wanting to play with him a little more. "Well…" she kissed him sweetly. "If you _are_ asking, and this _is_ and engagement ring…then I would be saying yes." If she wasn't a vampire her heart would be pounding and her face would be red.

Damon played it off like he was nonchalant, but inside he was incredibly happy. "Then I guess I'm proposing then." If he was being totally honest with himself, he always wanted to get married. But since it was what his father wanted he went out of his way to defy him.

Elena squealed loudly and tackled him to the mattress kissing him all over. "I love you…so so much!"

Damon chuckled, letting her kiss down his neck and chest. He could get used to the new Elena. "I love you too, but I just have to say one thing." Elena sat up a little looking down at her _fiancée_ and bracing her hands on his chest. "This isn't going to be a huge thing with three hundred guests and a church-" he said with disdain.

Elena shook her head vehemently. "I wouldn't even dream of it. Nothing traditional." She stated firmly.

Damon gazed at her curiously. "I thought you'd fight me on that a little more. I pegged you for wanting a traditional dream wedding." he fiddled with the ring on her hand, slipping it from her right hand to the left, while Elena watched him with a dazzling smile.

"It was…but we're not a traditional couple, are we?" she whispered as she leaned down and kissed him ardently. She pulled away feeling the happiest she had in a while.

"Not even in the slightest." He responded against her lips.

A/N: And that shall be all for now readers! I hope you liked it…remember to look out for The Rope.

P.S: for a look at the engagement ring, check out the link on my profile. Or here if it works just take out the brackets

(http:/)www(.)yourfashionblog(.)com/the-magic-of-ruby-jewelry/

Vanessa


	27. Author's Note on The Rope

A/N: SORRY NOT A CHAPTER! People were asking about The Rope so here's the plot.

The Rope: Season 1 off canon. Damon comes back to Mystic Falls…with Katherine on his arm. Elena's life is changing before her eyes and Mystic Falls bares the wrath of Damon and Katherine. In an attempt to rewind to before they came, Bonnie does a spell and accidentally sends Elena back to 1864…in Katherine's place. Definitely DELENA!

Oooh so there ya go! Hope you're all interested. Working on chapter one!


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